Hooked
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: Charlie and Angelo are trying to catch a serial killer when they happen upon Joey Collins, a somewhat unconventional witness...
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to today's first update. I'm taking a bit of a risk with this one and I'm not entirely sure where it came from but it's going to be kind of dark and may test some boundaries. But I hope you'll go with it and that you'll enjoy it. It's certainly not the most conventional approach to a CJ relationship and I have to admit I am kind of nervous about it! I look forward (with a little anxiety!) to your feedback. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Hooked**

**Chapter One**

It was the early hours of Friday morning in Yabbie Creek when Sergeant Charlie Buckton and her partner in every sense of the word, Senior Constable Angelo Rosetta picked their way through the busy club. Dressed in plain clothes in a bid to look inconspicuous, they were nearing the end of their shift and neither could wait to go home and get some rest. It had been a particularly heavy fortnight and if they didn't manage to find at least one lead in the case then several local murders could go unsolved. Charlie was determined not to let it happen, not on her watch.

"Over there," Charlie nodded, spotting a dark haired girl leaning against the bar and facing away from them.

She was talking to an overweight, balding man who, even with a lack of natural light, looked to have particularly bad skin.

"You reckon?" Angelo asked.

He and Charlie had been wandering round the bar for the past half an hour, trying to keep an eye on everyone in there. They'd sat and observed, nursing unfortunately non-alcoholic drinks. They'd danced, separated to check out the toilets and continued to try and make conversation while they took in the room around them.

"Definitely," Charlie said when she saw the girl lean into the man and whisper something into his ear.

The man nodded eagerly and pulled out his wallet. The girl, whose features Charlie couldn't yet make out, touched his hand, stopping him from pulling out his cash. Then she gestured for him to follow her into the toilets.

"You're right," Angelo said, moving to follow them.

"Wait," Charlie said.

Angelo looked confused.

"We've spent half the night trying to find one of these girls," he said. "What are you waiting for?"

"Somehow I don't think we're going to get much out of her if we lose her some cash and scare off a client," Charlie pointed out.

She gestured for them to sit down at an empty table where they could maintain a good view of the ladies. Angelo grimaced and nodded. He tried not to give in to bitterness every time his girlfriend so easily proved why she had been considered Sergeant material when he had barely managed to become a Senior Constable.

* * *

><p>Joey Collins escaped the toilets as quickly as she could. She'd made a little cash but so far, the night had been pretty slow. Really, she was eager to head home and sleep but with her rent due in two days time, she needed the money. There was no way she was going to dip into her savings, kept oh so carefully in a hole in the side of her mattress in the attic room she called home.<p>

"Lemonade please, Aden," she requested.

The barman nodded and poured the drink, refusing to accept her cash.

"After that, I feel sorry for you!" he remarked.

She laughed and sipped her drink, appreciating the ice cold liquid in the hot, stuffy club.

"Thanks," she said.

Aden Jeffries was a nice guy. He was a couple of years younger than Joey, good looking and sweet natured. She gathered, from the time she'd spent with him after hours, that he had had a tough life. His most recent tragedy was the loss of his wife, Belle, to cancer. He'd loved her for as long as he'd known her and she had been far too young to die like that. Still, Joey reasoned, death was an unfortunate part of life. One of the many things Joey appreciated about Aden was that he never asked anything of her. He didn't even charge her for drinks. And she certainly didn't expect to be propositioned at any point. In her world, that was rarity.

"Company," Aden remarked, nodding behind her.

Joey turned and came face to face with a man who looked to be perhaps a little older than she was. She looked him up and down, noting his black jeans and shirt. His hair was short and his eyes were shifty.

"It's fifty bucks an hour or a two hundred for the night," she said evenly.

A strikingly beautiful woman stepped up beside him. Joey raised her eyebrows and glanced between them. Her eyes lingered mostly on the woman. She had long, beautiful dark hair that framed a beautifully flawless face. She wore a form fitting red halter-neck top and skinny black jeans.

"I don't do two for one deals," she said. "You both pay."

The woman stepped a little closer, taking the lead over her boyfriend. She flashed her police badge.

"Oh, fuck," Joey frowned.

Rolling her eyes, she held up her hands, fully expecting to be cuffed and hauled into a cell for the night.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Angelo try to get information from Joey…<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to everyone for such lovely feedback about this one. I was probably more nervous about this fic than I have been about any of the others – and I always get super nervous when I post a new one! So, thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Two**

"We're not here to arrest you," the woman said. "We just want to talk."

"What if I don't have anything to say?" Joey replied, her eyes offering a challenge.

"Well, then we _will _arrest you and you'll be made to talk down at the station," Sergeant Buckton replied.

Joey folded her arms, refusing to be intimidated.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, although she had a feeling she already knew.

"We just need to ask you some questions," the woman replied.

"I don't know the answers," Joey told her.

She turned back to the bar and gulped down some more of her drink.

"What's your name?" the police officer demanded, nudging past her colleague and standing level with Joey at the bar.

"I don't have one," Joey replied.

"Are you aware that there have been four murders around here over the last fortnight?"

Joey shrugged.

"Do you think I care?" she asked.

"Well, the women that have been killed all work in your trade," Charlie replied, already irritated with her nonchalance. "I'd have thought you would care about that."

"Why, because all hookers are meant to be best friends?" Joey asked. "Do you socialise with every single cop at your station?"

"I meant because you could be at risk," Charlie said, gritting her teeth.

She glanced at Angelo who looked immediately guilty. Charlie chose to ignore the fact that her boyfriend was obviously checking the young woman out.

"So?" Joey said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, you don't have any anxiety about that?"

"No," Joey lied. "Now if you're not going to cuff me or rent me out, could you please leave me to get on with my night? I've got things to see and people to do."

She smirked. Charlie's frustration only increased.

"Fine," she said. "I hope you're not the next girl I have to peel off the street."

With that, she stormed out of the bar. Angelo gave Joey one more glance and then hurried after her. Shaking her head, Joey turned back to the bar. Aden had miraculously disappeared while the cops had been around.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Cops hassling me," Joey said vaguely. "Nothing new."

"Is it about those girls?" Aden asked.

Joey shrugged and nodded at the same time.

"I'm going to call it a night," she decided, finishing her drink. "Have fun."

"Bye, Jo," Aden said, waving as she disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

><p>"Why did you give up like that?" Angelo demanded.<p>

He and Charlie were on the street outside the bar.

"She's the first person we've got close to in weeks," he said. "Don't you have any sense of urgency?"

"I wasn't going to get anything out of her," Charlie pointed out.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't dived in..." Angelo said sourly.

Charlie clenched her jaw and squared up to him.

"Are you criticising my work?" she asked, irritated.

Something about that girl had got under her skin.

"No," Angelo said. "Just..."

He shook his head.

"We have to start getting somewhere with this case soon," he said, leaning against the wall of the bar. "We've got a serial killer here and he's blatantly running rings around us."

Charlie mirrored his position, feeling equally frustrated.

"I know," she said in a gentler tone. "I know."

"Look, our shift finishes in half an hour," Angelo said. "Let's go and tidy up some paperwork and then go home."

"Yeah," Charlie sighed.

Just as she took her own weight again, she saw the young woman walk out of the bar. They glared at each other before moving in opposite directions. Angelo cast another glance back at the girl's retreating form before following Charlie back to the police station.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey struggles with her roommate while Angelo loses patience with Charlie…<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_I hope you all had a good weekend. And I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Three**

"Martha! For fuck's sake!" Joey said tiredly, entering the attic room she shared with her best friend.

Martha MacKenzie was all but passed out on the double mattress they shared. Joey kicked the door shut and knelt on the floor beside her. She checked her eyes and that she wasn't having any difficulty breathing. Martha stared at her with a glazed expression. She wasn't even on the same planet. Opening up the small fridge in the corner of what they pretended was a kitchen, she took out a bottle of water. It was tap water, stored in an old Diet Coke bottle and kept cold. Pouring a glass, she put it to Martha's lips.

"Keep hydrated," she instructed. "And I'll see you when you come back down."

Sighing heavily, Joey grabbed her toothbrush and flannel and headed out to the bathroom down the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready to go home?" Angelo asked, hovering beside Charlie's desk.<p>

The Sergeant looked up and shook her head. She was increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress they'd had in the case so far.

"Charlie, the shift's over," Angelo said. "We're already working seven days a week without making our hours longer."

"I just want to make some headway tonight," Charlie replied.

"We're chasing our tails," Angelo said. "There's nothing more we can do until some of the tests come back or we can find a witness."

"If I just read through the file one more time..."

"You've read through it about a million times," Angelo objected.

"In which case, one more time won't do any harm," Charlie said.

Realising that he wasn't going to get anywhere, Angelo stormed out of the building and to his car. Charlie watched him go and then returned to her paperwork. She stared at the photos of each of the four victims and silently vowed to get justice.

* * *

><p>The first thing Joey heard when she woke up the next morning was Martha throwing up.<p>

"Really?" she groaned. "You couldn't have got to the bathroom? You _had _to do it on the floor?"

Martha managed to stop retching enough to apologise. Joey hauled herself out of bed and stood up, twisting her oversized t-shirt that moonlighted as pyjamas, back round to face the right way. She moved across the room and grabbed a bucket, instructing Martha to finish in there. Martha grabbed the bucket and continued to throw up while Joey used old towels to start cleaning up. It wasn't a new experience.

* * *

><p>Charlie was still in uniform, having not managed to go to bed yet. Her teenage daughter, Ruby was due to be leaving for school in half an hour and every morning, without fail, Charlie was determined to sit and eat breakfast with her.<p>

"Did you manage to find the killer?" Ruby asked.

The seventeen year old was in her school uniform, polishing off a bowl of cereal.

"Not yet," Charlie sighed. "But give me time."

"You'll catch them," Ruby said confidently. "You're the best."

Charlie chuckled, touched by her daughter's ever constant faith in her.

"Sorry I haven't been around much lately," the police officer apologised.

Usually, she tried to work her shifts around the time that Ruby was in school. She knew her daughter hated her working nights and Charlie hated them also. She couldn't stand the thought of her daughter staying home alone all night, regardless of how mature she was.

"It's fine," Ruby said. "I'm only sleeping while you're at work anyway. It's not like I'm missing out on any mother-daughter-bonding."

She grinned. Charlie smiled back.

"Did you manage to sleep at all?" Ruby asked, finishing her breakfast.

"Not yet," Charlie admitted. "I'll catch up on a couple of hours now and then try to start functioning again. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That'll be Dex and April," Ruby said, standing up and grabbing her bag. "See you tonight, Mum."

"See you," Charlie replied.

Ruby kissed her cheek and then wandered down to the front door, ready to walk to school with her friends. Standing up and stretching, Charlie headed off into her bedroom where Angelo was just starting to stir.

"Morning," she said, stripping out of her uniform and climbing into bed.

"Are you only just getting in?" Angelo asked tiredly.

He sat up, stretched and yawned.

"Yeah," Charlie said, snuggling down.

He looked a little disgusted before hauling himself up and out of the room. Charlie watched him go, sighing heavily and letting sleep immediately wash over her.

* * *

><p>"Why do you do this to yourself?" Joey asked gently.<p>

Having cleaned Martha up, Joey had managed to convince her to eat some dry toast and keep drinking water. Martha and Joey had been friends for seven years and all throughout that time, Martha had been hooked on drugs. Joey was painfully aware that the illegal substance would probably one day kill her.

"It helps pass the time," Martha said weakly.

Joey put her arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, you know that?" she said earnestly.

"I love you too," Martha replied. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through."

"It's fine," Joey said. "We're all doing whatever it takes to get by."

She looked up when she heard a small tapping sound and their one small window on one side of the slanting roof. Smiling, Joey could just about make out the shape of the little cat who had come to visit. Moving away from Martha, Joey opened the window and welcomed the small, scruffy tabby and white inside. He was homeless but Joey had taken him into her room and her heart on a regular basis. The first time Martha had seen him, a little worse for wear, she'd been convinced that he was a bear. Subsequently, his name had been Bear Cat ever since. Opening the fridge, Joey took out a tin of cat food and poured out a bowl of water. Bear Cat offered his quiet, raspy meow and rubbed up against Joey's legs before tucking into his meal. She could still hear him purring when she flopped back onto the bed.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… tensions flare between Charlie and Angelo and they have another encounter with Joey…<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Four**

That evening, having packed Ruby off to spend the weekend with Charlie's father and stepmother who lived in the same town, Charlie and Angelo headed off to work together. It looked like they had another hard night ahead of them. Charlie just hoped that the local serial killer would not be adding anymore girls to his list.

"So, what's the plan?" Angelo asked when he, Charlie and the rest of their team met together.

"We need a strong presence on the streets around the areas that each girl has gone missing," Charlie said.

"So in the Yabbie Creek version of the Red Light District?" Watson clarified.

"Yes," Charlie said. "And if anyone can get talking to one of the girls then that would help."

"Did you manage to find anyone to talk to last night?" Watson asked.

"We tried," Charlie said. "But they're not generally that keen on speaking to cops. Understandably."

"I just don't see how anyone could live that kind of life," another officer, Chelsea commented.

She was fairly new to the station, a pretty blonde in her early twenties.

"That's not for us to judge," Charlie said evenly. "We're just here to protect them."

Chelsea tried not to glare at her team leader. She had aspirations in the police force and the last thing she needed was a bad reputation.

"Okay, so everyone partner up and I'll give you a location," Charlie said, standing up.

"Do I get to partner you?" Angelo asked, trying to be amusing.

"Unless you want someone else," Charlie said a little coldly.

Her boyfriend had pretty much ignored her all day, angry that she'd stayed out all night working. Every time they tried to talk about it, they just ended up arguing. And Angelo didn't seem to understand that this wasn't a normal time in their lives. They had the biggest case that the police station had ever seen and Charlie was both thrilled and terrified to be leading the case. It could make or break her career.

"Of course not," Angelo replied.

"Good," Charlie said.

She turned and handed out location instructions to the rest of the team and then headed into her office to prepare herself. Angelo followed.

"Why are you being so snappy?" he asked.

"Maybe because while I'm working the case of my life, my boyfriend keeps whining that he's not getting enough attention," Charlie said.

She breezed past him and out of the station, heading towards her car. Angelo jogged to keep up with her, painfully aware of how focussed she was on the night ahead.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he tried. "I just... miss you."

"I'm right here," Charlie pointed out.

"You haven't gone near me in weeks, Charlie," Angelo complained. "At least when we weren't communicating all that much, we were still hot together."

Charlie pulled a face. In all honesty, she had never been all that hot for Angelo. She had never really been that hot for anyone. Having been raped as a teenager, bringing about her beloved daughter, Charlie had stayed away from men for the most part, not that anyone actually knew about what had happened to her. She'd gone on a couple of dates here and there but mostly, she was focussed on work and raising her child. When she had first moved to Summer Bay, where she currently resided, she'd had a brief relationship with a local chef called Roman Harris but he had never been that serious about her. If she took the time to think about it seriously, she had to admit that she'd felt a little used. So, she chose not to think about it all that much. Angelo was probably her first serious relationship but she didn't feel they were all that happy together. They'd moved in together because he had demanded it and between living and working together, Charlie struggled for space.

"We're trying to find a serial killer, Angelo," she said. "I think that's a little more important than whether you get laid regularly or not."

Irritated, Angelo shoved his hands in his pockets and kept pace with his girlfriend.

* * *

><p>Dressed in skinny black jeans and a black, low cut, sleeveless top, Joey strolled down the high street looking for business. She'd tried a few clubs and bars but really, it was too early in the night for much action. And even though she liked to pretend that she wasn't anxious about the violence on the streets recently, it unnerved her in a way she couldn't describe.<p>

She paused her step when a car approached from behind, slowing as it got closer. Joey leant in as the window went down and then her heart sank.

"Are you kidding me?" she snapped at the pretty police officer that had tried to talk to her the previous evening.

"Have you remembered anything useful?" Charlie asked, skipping pleasantries.

"I didn't realise I was supposed to," Joey said, beginning to walk again.

The car, driven by Charlie kept in line with her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I don't have one," Joey insisted.

"Your punters must have to have something to scream out."

Joey stopped walking and smirked back at her.

"I'll give you that," she said. "That was funny. And highly unexpected from someone who must even find herself boring."

"I can assure you that I'm interesting enough," Charlie replied curtly.

Angelo remained in the passenger seat, in a bad mood and barely paying attention. Joey leant against the car window, too close for Charlie's liking.

"Maybe that's it," she said.

"What?"

"Maybe you wouldn't be so highly strung if you got laid occasionally."

Angelo jerked his head up, looking annoyed.

"Have you ever had an orgasm?" Joey asked.

She studied Charlie's name badge.

"Charlie Buckton," she added.

"I do quite fine, thank you very much," Charlie replied, cursing herself for engaging in the girl's banter.

"Are you sure? Because I come highly recommended," Joey told her. "And I know I said I don't do two for the price of one but for you I might make an exception."

"I really don't need to pay for sex," Charlie assured her.

"She really doesn't," Angelo snapped, annoyed.

Joey studied them and then laughed to realise that they were more than just partners at work.

"Well, if either of you feel unsatisfied, you know where to come," she said easily.

Charlie glanced at Angelo, painfully aware of their earlier conversation.

"We won't," Charlie said. "What we do want from you is information."

"I dropped out of school," Joey said. "I don't know anything."

She started walking again. Charlie kept up in the car.

"You haven't seen anything?"

"Nope."

"You can't help in any way?"

"Nope," Joey said. "And your uniform is putting off my valuable customers so could you go and hassle someone else, please?"

She turned back and leaned against the window again.

"Here's an idea," she said. "Why don't you stop chasing me around and try to find the monster that's murdering people? I hear some people consider that to be a crime."

Without waiting for a response, Joey strutted back down the street.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Angelo makes a big mistake and Joey ends up in danger…<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_Ho, ho, ho! I hope you all had a good Christmas. You nearly didn't hear from me today as I was busy and then ill but I dragged myself on for a couple of quick updates. Please don't hate me for the outcome of this chapter! It's all important to the plot, I promise! Enjoy! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Five**

Charlie and Angelo neared the end of their shift and both of them were shattered.

"Are you actually going to finish on time tonight?" Angelo asked.

At her desk, Charlie looked immediately guilty. Angelo sighed heavily and sat down on the other side of her.

"Seriously, Charlie," he said. "There's nothing more we can do tonight."

"I just can't believe we still haven't got anywhere," Charlie sighed.

She closed her laptop and leaned her elbows on the desk, rubbing her temples.

"Maybe if we calmed things down," Angelo suggested. "If we actually went home, got a good night's sleep then we could breathe and find another way to figure things out."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. She chewed her lip.

"I still think that we need to get some of those girls on side," she said.

She pictured the woman who had given her so much cheek for the past two nights.

"I don't know how we're going to manage that," Angelo admitted. "They're not exactly keen to hang out with cops."

"There's something about that girl," Charlie ventured.

"The one we met in the club last night?" Angelo asked.

Charlie nodded. Angelo couldn't quite help but picture her. She was gorgeous.

"I don't know why but I feel like she's important," Charlie said. "Does that sound weird?"

"Important how?" Angelo wondered.

"I don't know," Charlie admitted. "Just... there's something about her."

"You're not on the turn, are you?" Angelo joked.

"Don't be silly!" Charlie laughed. "I just... I have a funny feeling about her. I can't really explain it."

"I think we should just call it a night," Angelo persisted. "Sleep on it. Figure things out and then come back and attack it properly tomorrow night."

Charlie hesitated. She was tired and she felt like she was running on empty. But she was loathe to stop in case she was wasting time. Wasted time could mean wasted lives. And with the four deaths that she already believed were on her conscience, she wasn't keen to add more.

"I'll just stay for a bit longer," she decided. "Just a couple of hours. I promise."

Angelo looked set to object. He opened and shut his mouth a couple of times and then pushed away from the desk, standing up abruptly.

"Fine," he snapped. "Do whatever you like."

With that, he stormed out. It felt like it was the same every night.

* * *

><p>It had been quiet for a Saturday night. Joey supposed that a lot of people were trying to stay safe. Every day on the news, they went on about the serial killer and how dangerous the place had become. Most of the girls Joey knew were still risking their lives but punters were shying away, not wanting to get caught up in that world. The police were crawling round the streets every night and she personally felt rather hassled by them all, especially the woman that kept trying to talk to her.<p>

Scanning the street, Joey sighed and made a move towards home.

"How much did you say you charged?" said a voice behind her.

Joey spun around, trying not to look panicked. She paused and looked her gentleman caller up and down. He was out of uniform but Joey instantly recognised him as a police officer.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Joey asked, stepping a little closer.

"Working," Angelo said.

"And what do you want from me?"

"What do most men want from you?" Angelo asked.

"I don't advocate cheating," Joey said. "Even if your girlfriend is pretty irritating."

"I'm not really interested in small talk," the police officer said. "Can you provide or not?"

Joey looked him up and down before nodding and leading him into an alley.

"Cash," she said, not bothering with pleasantries.

He stuffed a few notes into her hand and quickly unzipped his fly. He was already excited, particularly by the danger but not least because the girl was gorgeous.

"I hope you have contraception," Joey said, not moving any closer.

"I prefer it without," he said.

"And I prefer not to catch a disease," Joey told him. "No glove, no love."

She smirked at him. He couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess it's good to know you're safe," he said. "I don't particularly want to catch anything either. Charlie would kill me."

He opened his wallet where he always carried a condom in the hope of spontaneous sex with his girlfriend. So far, it hadn't happened.

* * *

><p>Charlie looked at the clock. Angelo would be home by now and she was starting to regret not going with him. While she felt completely justified about throwing herself into her work at a time when her town was in danger, she knew she wasn't the best girlfriend in the world. She was neglectful and not very good at prioritising. Deep down, she knew Angelo wasn't the person she was supposed to be with. And she couldn't help but fear she was being a terrible person by keeping the relationship going anyway.<p>

* * *

><p>Having finished with Angelo in record time, Joey walked back down the street in the direction of home. <em>No wonder that cop is so moody<em>, she thought, picturing Charlie's pretty face. She had had plenty of experience, mostly unpleasant but she wasn't sure she had ever been with someone quiet as inept as Angelo.

She paused abruptly when she saw a shadow close behind her. The footsteps behind her quickly stopped. Glancing back over her shoulder, Joey's blood turned cold as she saw a shadowy figure moving forward quickly as he tried to close the gap between them. Without a second's though, Joey broke into a run.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Angelo struggle to keep their relationship going, Joey struggles with rent and Ruby worries about her mother…<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm glad Bear Cat is a hit! Lol. He's actually a real cat (name and all). If I don't update again before 2012 then happy new year, everyone! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Six**

"Woah, where's the fire?" Heath Braxton asked when Joey burst through the door.

She slammed it shut behind her, struggling to catch her breath. Concerned, Heath moved closer, putting a hand on her back.

"Seriously, Joey," Heath said. "What's wrong?"

Regulating her breathing, Joey looked at him. He worked as a doorman at the brothel Joey called home. The first floor was devoted to the public, wanting to pay to watch shows or get extras after hours. Various 'staff members' rented the other three floors from the owner of the building – Darryl 'Brax' Braxton. He was Heath's older brother and considered himself to be an astute businessman. He had his fingers in far too many pies and none of his staff could quite work him out.

"Bad client," Joey lied. "I'm fine."

Heath sat her on a stool and hurried into the small kitchen on the other side of the even smaller lobby. He returned with a glass of water, which Joey accepted gratefully.

"I can give you something stronger if you like," he offered.

Joey studied his face. Like Brax, she had never quite managed to work Heath out. On the one hand, she had seen him be violent. She knew he hooked up with a lot of the girls 'on the house'. She also knew he was a drug dealer and provided people like Joey's precious best friend, Martha with gear that was rapidly destroying her life. But she had also seen him be very sweet and gentle, like now.

"I'm fine," Joey assured him. "I think I'm going to head on up to bed."

Heath nodded and helped her stand up. He watched her walk hurriedly up the stairs and then sank back into his seat, longing for his shift to finish.

* * *

><p>Angelo was in the shower when Charlie arrived back at their apartment. He was surprised, if not a little alarmed when he walked into the bedroom and found her getting changed.<p>

"I was expecting you to be asleep already," Charlie remarked.

She stripped out of her uniform and quickly into her pyjamas. He rummaged in the drawer for clean underwear and put it on, dumping his old clothes into the washing basket.

"I felt pretty rank," he said. "So I thought I'd get washed."

He pictured his quick fumble with the hooker in the alley. He'd felt dirty and yet strangely satisfied afterwards. He never wanted Charlie to find out what he'd done and how he had betrayed her. He knew that she would never be forgiving. He knew it would be the end. And yet, there was a part of him that wanted her to know. He wanted her to know that she couldn't call the shots. She couldn't decide how their relationship worked. She couldn't ignore him and expect him to stick around.

"Sorry I've been so distant," Charlie ventured, slipping beneath the covers.

Angelo climbed into his side of the bed also and they lay, side by side in the lamp light.

"I know this is a huge case," he said. "And I know how important it is to you. But... I miss you."

Charlie rolled onto her side and reached for his hand. She apologised again.

"Can I make it up to you?" she asked, her voice a seductive purr.

Angelo grinned. He forgot all about his transgressions as he focussed on all she was offering.

* * *

><p>Joey was woken the following morning by a loud rapping on the door.<p>

"I'm not waiting around all day for you," a male voice barked through the wood.

Groaning, Joey glanced at Martha who was sound asleep beside her. Hauling herself out of bed, Joey pulled her robe on and opened the door.

"Not like you to try and look decent," Darryl 'Brax' Braxton remarked.

Joey merely shrugged.

"Rent," Brax said, holding his hand out.

Joey left the door open and picked up an envelope from down by the side of her bed. She handed it over.

"I need it from both of you," Brax pointed out.

"It is from both of us," Joey lied.

Really, she had just paid double. Martha had used her earnings unwisely and, as usual, Joey had to bail her out. Brax looked into the envelope and nodded. When he turned and left, Joey shut the door quickly behind him. She smiled when she heard the familiar sound of Bear Cat tapping on the window.

"How about we go out for lunch today?" Angelo suggested.

* * *

><p>Charlie was still sleepy but her boyfriend was apparently in an excellent mood.<p>

"Like we do every day?" Charlie teased.

They probably spent more time in the local Diner than they did in their own kitchen. For a short time, before she had agreed to rent a place with Angelo, Charlie and Ruby had lived with the Diner owner, Leah. They still missed her.

"It'll be a nice way to spend Sunday before we have to go back to work," he said.

Charlie nodded and slipped out of bed. She pulled on her robe and claimed to need coffee. Angelo bounded after her, feeling that after last night, perhaps their relationship was back on track.

* * *

><p>Ruby strolled along the beach with her boyfriend, Casey. They had only been together for a few months but she was certain that she was in love with him.<p>

"How come you never invite me round to your place?" she asked.

Casey looked startled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"My place sucks," he said. "I don't want to spend any time there and I'm certain you wouldn't either."

"I'd like to see where you live," she ventured. "I feel like in so many ways, I don't really know you. And that makes it kind of hard to stand up for you when my Mum moans."

Casey frowned, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

"Maybe we could all do something together one day?" Ruby suggested.

"Like what?" Casey asked anxiously.

"I don't know," Ruby said. "Like a barbeque or some other 'getting to know you' thing."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Well, not if you want to invite my family," Casey said. "That wouldn't work."

"I guess Mum and Angelo would be too busy at the moment anyway," Ruby sighed. "They're working on a huge murder case at the moment," she ventured.

Casey nodded.

"I heard my brothers talking about it last week," he said. "It sounds pretty heavy."

Ruby nodded.

"I've hardly seen Mum all week," she said. "She's either working, sleeping or arguing with Angelo. I really which she'd figure out sooner rather than later that he isn't the guy for her. I mean, sometimes I wonder if..."

She trailed off.

"If?" Casey nudged.

"Nothing," Ruby sighed. "It doesn't matter."

Casey looked unconvinced but let it go.

"But if you can't meet my Mum then maybe I could meet yours?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"It's not the right time," Casey refused.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie has another unsatisfactory encounter with Joey, the murderer strikes again and Joey strikes gold…<em>


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

It was the following Friday night and things in Charlie's head felt a little more settled. There hadn't been another murder all week and although they would continue to look for the killer, Charlie and her team hoped that the number of bodies wouldn't keep stacking up. Charlie had also tried to spend a little more time with Angelo. It was easy for her to prioritise Ruby and work and not pay enough attention to her boyfriend. But the more effort she made with him, the happier he seemed to be. And that meant that her life felt that little bit easier.

* * *

><p>Joey walked from one bar to the next. She rolled her eyes when she spotted the familiar police officers approaching her. Sergeant Buckton looked as annoyingly beautiful as ever and Constable Risotto, or whatever his name was, looked decidedly uncomfortable. Joey allowed herself a small smile. She supposed that he wouldn't want his precious girlfriend to know what he had been up to over the previous weekend. And it would knock the Sergeant off the pedestal she'd put herself on too.<p>

"Change your mind about using my services?" she remarked coolly as Charlie and Angelo approached.

"Doubtful," Charlie replied. "Have you remembered your name yet?"

"Nope," Joey replied. "I still don't have one. Sorry."

"Found anything out about the person who killed these poor girls?" Charlie asked without missing a beat.

Joey's mind flashbacked to the night the shadowy figure had chased her. She looked concerned for a moment and then reapplied the smirk to her face.

"Nope," she lied.

Charlie studied her curiously.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You looked worried for a moment."

"I'm a hooker standing on the street talking to uniformed cops," Joey pointed out. "Of course I'm worried. Do you have any idea you could be costing me in work?"

"Well, think of it as a public service," Charlie said. "The more time you talk to us, the less likely it is that you'll be murdered by a client."

"My clients are fine, thanks," Joey replied curtly.

She allowed herself a lingering look at Charlie's male counterpart. He shifted anxiously and looked at the floor. Joey looked amused. Charlie didn't notice her partner's movements.

"Don't you care that women are dying all around you?" she persisted.

"I don't care about much," Joey lied.

"I'm absolutely convinced that with a bit of co-operation from people like you, people who know these streets so well, we could find the person responsible and then we'd all be happier and safer."

"Then find a person like me who wants to help," Joey told her. "And leave _me _in peace. Think you can manage that?"

Charlie glared. Joey glared back and then walked away.

* * *

><p>It was one o'clock in the morning when Joey decided to give up and go home. Police were still crawling the streets and it was making clients edgy about parting with their cash to receive certain services. She was tired anyway and quite looked forward to curling up and reading until Martha came home, undoubtedly trashed like she usually was. Joey found the whole thing sad. When Martha was stable enough to remember her own name, she was the sweetest person. She was easily Joey's best and perhaps only friend. They would die for each other and yet it seemed that all too often Martha would bid for an escape outside her own head.<p>

"Excuse me?" said a female voice behind her.

Joey whirled around, immediately alert and came face to face with five attractive, albeit drunk women.

"Yes?" she said, cautious but curious.

"Are you a... you know?" one of the girls asked.

They were decked out in typical hen night attire. Clearly one of them was getting married.

"A...?"

"A prostitute?" a dark haired woman at the back blurted out with a nervous giggle.

Joey chuckled.

"Yes, I am," Joey confirmed. "Why?"

"How much do you charge for a night?"

Joey raised her eyebrows.

"How much are you offering?" she asked.

"How about two hundred?" a bold blonde suggested.

"Sure," Joey said.

"Each," the blonde added.

It didn't take long for Joey to count up the cash. She hadn't made as much as this in one night in a very long time.

"Where do you want me?" she asked.

* * *

><p>"There's been another murder," Watson announced, hurrying into Charlie's office where she had been re-examining the case file for what felt like the millionth time.<p>

She sat up straight, immediately alert.

"Where?"

"Some girls called it in a few minutes ago," Watson said. "I have the location."

Pausing only to grab her jacket, Charlie hurried out of the station with her colleague.

* * *

><p>"Are there any rules?" the redhead of the group asked a little shyly.<p>

They had taken Joey back to their hotel room, explaining along the way that the bold blonde who'd offered the cash was having a blessing with her female partner in the morning and wanted one night of freedom and fun before she made the commitment. Joey had hooked up with several people in the same situation – usually men – but she had ever quite understood the concept. Surely if you were in a relationship with someone, then you were already committed? If you slept with someone else, or by the looks of it – six other people – the night before your wedding then that still had to count as cheating, didn't it? Still, it wasn't Joey's place to judge.

"No kissing on the mouth," Joey said.

"Like _Pretty Woman_!" the brunette who had first said the word 'prostitute' said.

"If you like," Joey smirked good naturedly.

She declined a drink before the girls lost their shyness and spent the night the way they really wanted to.

* * *

><p>"It's got to be him," Charlie remarked, staring down unhappily at the body of a dark haired woman.<p>

She had been stabbed thirty times. Her hair splayed out around her in the dirt and her glassy eyes stared blankly up at the dark sky.

"He adds injuries in fives," Watson agreed.

The first had been stabbed ten times, the second fifteen, the third twenty, the fourth twenty five and this rounded it up to thirty.

"Let's hope he doesn't get to thirty five," Charlie said grimly.

She watched the crime scene investigators work the scene. Several other officers were working hard to keep the press back.

"Do you think it's coincidence that all these women look alike?" Watson wondered.

"I don't think coincidences exist," Charlie admitted.

It was something that had also jumped out at her during the investigation.

"Maybe he's looking for someone in particular?" Watson suggested, hoping she wasn't annoying her shift supervisor.

"Maybe," Charlie said thoughtfully. "Maybe."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey's night in with Martha goes terribly wrong…<em>


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

It was lunch time on Saturday morning before Joey ventured home. She'd had a wild night with the hen party, even by her standards. The bride to be had panicked in the morning and taken her best friend with her to break up with her girlfriend. The other three girls, now sober, had been a little bashful about the night they'd had but recovering from shyness, they had taken Joey for breakfast at the hotel.

Now, rather exhausted due to not very much sleep, Joey walked the long way home, taking in the fresh air and the sunshine. The fact that she had over a grand in her pocket also helped her mood. She planned to put half of it away in the savings fund she kept hidden in her mattress but the rest of it would be spent on looking after herself and Martha properly. And in the currently dangerous world they were living in, Joey was looking forward to going home and telling her best friend that both of them could hide out for a week and not put themselves at risk. She knew Martha would request drug money but she also knew she was unlikely to give it her. She couldn't, in good conscience support Martha's choice to kill herself slowly and painfully.

But still, not even her best friend's habit was going to bring her down. For the first time in years, neither she nor Martha would be working on a Saturday night. They would get a takeaway and spend the evening chatting and laughing. Joey was desperately looking forward to it.

She knocked on the door of the building she lived in and smiled pleasantly when Heath opened the door. He was already drinking a cheeky beer and even though she knew he wasn't the nicest guy on earth, he had always been good to her and for that, she was grateful.

"You look pretty pleased with yourself," the heavily tattooed man said.

"It was a good night," Joey replied.

"Oh yeah?"

"A hen party," Joey revealed.

Heath's eyes widened in delight.

"A hen party of girls?" he asked.

"No, a hen party of chickens," Joey teased.

He looked momentarily bewildered. Laughing Joey assured him, they had been girls.

"You know, when you hook up with the ladies you can feel free to tell me all about it," he said. "Or, film it or take pictures... whatever you like."

Joey snorted with laughter.

"You should be so lucky!" she said, heading for the stairs.

"Yeah!" he agreed. "I _should _be so lucky!"

* * *

><p>Letting herself into her room, Joey found Martha still in bed, clutching a mug of tea.<p>

"The kettle's still warm if you want a cup," she said.

Joey nodded and headed for the kettle, flicking it on again. While it boiled quickly, she opened up the window and welcomed an impatient Bear Cat inside. He meowed loudly, eager for food.

"Sorry," Martha said. "I should have let him in. I just didn't quite manage to get out of bed after I made tea."

"It's fine," Joey said, feeding Bear Cat and stoking his somewhat matted fur.

She poured herself a drink, musing over whether she should buy him some sort of grooming brush. Slipping into bed beside Martha, she smiled triumphantly.

"What are you looking so happy about?" her friend wondered.

"Neither of us has to work for a week," Joey declared.

Martha look confused.

"I scored a hen party last night and they paid me handsomely," Joey explained. "So we have no need to go out and work for a week. And hopefully by the time we do, the pigs would have caught the murderer that's trying to knife his way through the streets."

"You got paid that much?" Martha remarked.

Joey nodded.

"We're home free, baby," she said.

Martha put her tea down carefully and hugged her.

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Well, you know I never get tired of it," Joey said.

"So, a hen party, hey?" Martha asked. "Did you have fun?"

"Fun would be stretching it a little far but at least there wasn't a man in the mix," Joey said. "You know I prefer my girlies."

Martha giggled.

"It's a real shame I don't swing that way," she remarked. "Because you and I would be hot together."

Joey chuckled.

"To be fair, I don't really swing _any _way but you know if I did, you'd be number one in my heart," she grinned.

"I'd better be!" Martha laughed.

* * *

><p>The evening was drawing in and, as Joey had hoped, she and Martha had enjoyed their day together. Martha hadn't even asked if it was possible for her to go and seek a hit – although, of course the night was still young.<p>

"I'm hungry," Joey decided. "How about we head out for a takeaway?"

"I can go get it," Martha offered. "If you just give me the cash."

Joey's heart sank. She knew exactly why her friend was so keen.

"Martha..."

"I won't. I swear. Give me the exact cash and I'll just go and get the food. I swear."

Joey looked sceptical but handed the money over anyway.

"Don't be long," she begged. "I'm craving curry."

"Any specific requests?" Martha asked, putting her shoes on.

"Surprise me," Joey said.

Martha grinned and kissed her cheek. She turned back at the door.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Joey replied sincerely.

* * *

><p>"He's early," Charlie said sadly.<p>

It was barely nine o'clock and she was already standing over a corpse – the second of the weekend so far. Again, the girl was dark haired and as she and Watson had suspected, she had been stabbed thirty times.

"Does she have any ID?" she asked the officer dealing with the forensic side of the scene.

"Nothing," the man said. "Just twenty bucks in her pocket."

Charlie sighed heavily.

"When is this going to stop?" she wondered.

"When we catch him," Angelo said from behind her.

Charlie whirled round, a little irritated before deciding that he wasn't actually being sarcastic.

"I've got a team scoping the area," she said. "Time of death was only about fifteen minutes ago so hopefully he hasn't gone far."

* * *

><p>Joey paced her room, looking at her watch and getting more frantic. She tried to settle and focus on giving Bear Cat some fuss but her mind was elsewhere. Finally, she burst out of her room and onto the streets in search of her best friend. She checked out various dealer haunts, having already asked Heath if he'd seen Martha since she'd gone out. He hadn't.<p>

Blue flashing lights up ahead, towards the centre of town caught her attention. She panicked.

"No," she said to herself. "She wasn't even working."

Telling herself that she was being stupid, paranoid and over dramatic, Joey walked on. As she neared the lights, she tried to blend into the shadows. The irritatingly beautiful Sergeant that wanted to know her life story was there, standing over what looked like a body. Heart pounding, she stepped forward. Immediately she felt sick.

"I just wish we knew her name," she heard Charlie say sadly.

"Her name's Martha," Joey said.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie attempts to get information from Joey…<em>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Charlie turned quickly and found Joey standing nearby looking utterly heartbroken. She immediately hurried over.

"Do you know this girl?" she asked hopefully.

Joey nodded mutely.

"And you say her name is Martha?"

Joey nodded again, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of her dead best friend.

"Martha MacKenzie," she mumbled, still staring.

"And she's your...?"

"Friend," Joey said. "Roommate."

Charlie nodded, glancing between the two women.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," she said sincerely.

Startled, Joey shifted her gaze and stared at the police officer. She felt bile rise up in her throat as shock began to take over.

"She wasn't even working," she said.

Charlie tried not to go too strongly into interrogation mode. But with the fifth body preparing to go to the morgue, she knew she had to step up her game.

"Do you know what she was doing out here?" she asked.

"She went to get a takeaway," Joey said.

Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall. It had been a long time since she had cried in front of another human being.

"Can you tell me when you last saw her?" Charlie asked.

Joey stared, looking offended.

"Stop interviewing me!" she snapped.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said gently. "I know this is hard but if we're going to find the person responsible then we desperately need any help we can get. To be honest, we feel like we're chasing our tails at the moment."

Joey looked back at Martha, mostly obscured by the police analysing the scene.

"She left at about seven," Joey said. "I should have gone with her... But... but he's early. All the other murders have been in the early hours of the morning."

"How do you know that?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Because I read the papers!" Joey snapped. "I'm not illiterate you know!"

"I didn't mean to offend you," Charlie apologised, although she couldn't help but note that the fragile woman in front of her looked more frightened than enraged.

Joey nodded. She bit her lip until she could taste blood, still staring at her best friend.

"So... she went out at around seven?" Charlie nudged.

Joey nodded, not looking at her.

"And what are you doing out here?" the police officer wanted to know.

"She'd been gone too long," Joey said. "I just... thought the worst of her so I didn't come looking until now."

"What do you mean, you thought the worst of her?" Charlie asked.

"I thought she'd taken the cash to get a hit," Joey admitted. "I thought she'd gone for a detour before getting the curries and that she'd be back eventually. But she promised that she wouldn't. I should have believed her. I should have gone with her. This whole thing is my fucking fault..."

She trailed off but jolted away when Charlie put a gentle hand on her arm. She looked as if she'd been slapped instead of comforted. Charlie withdrew her hand.

"If I'd have just come with her..." Joey managed.

"There's no evidence to support that," Charlie said, trying to be kind. "If you'd have been with her, you might not have been able to save her. You might have just got killed yourself."

"I wish I had," Joey said darkly. "It's not like I had that many people in the world and now I've lost both of them."

A tear fell. She hurried to brush it away. The nosy cop was the last person she wanted to weep in front of.

"Did you know one of the other victims?" Charlie asked.

Joey merely shrugged.

"Do you know who Martha's next of kin was?"

"She always said it was me whenever she ended up in the hospital," Joey said. "She was given up for adoption as a baby but she left home when she was a teenager. She has a brother but they haven't spoken for years. They had a row."

Charlie nodded.

"And what's your name?" she asked, aware that this had been a stumbling block during previous conversations.

Typically, Joey glared at her and looked defiant.

"Jane Doe," she stated.

Charlie sighed.

"I really need you to work with me here," she begged. "To get justice for Martha."

"Don't try to guilt trip me!" Joey yelled, although she sounded more like she was begging.

"I'm not," Charlie said. "I'm just trying to find the person responsible for your friend's death. If there's anything you can tell us..."

Joey looked away and back down at the ground. She saw the last of Martha's face as she was zipped into a body bag. Her heart felt like it was physically breaking. Finally, she looked back at Charlie, her tears refusing to cease.

"I need coffee," she decided. "Shout me one and I'll tell you everything I know."

Charlie agreed immediately, calling Angelo behind her. Joey glared at the new arrival, feeling sick at the sight of him. For his part, Angelo looked sheepish.

"Does he have to come?" she asked.

"He's my partner," Charlie informed her.

"Do I look like I care what you do behind closed doors?" Joey snapped.

"He's my work partner," Charlie clarified.

"Fine," Joey said. "There's an all night cafe round the corner. Let's go."

She marched back down the road. Charlie and a more hesitant Angelo followed.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey tells Charlie and Angelo everything she can…<em>


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Hey, Joey," Miles Copeland greeted when the young woman walked through the doors of the all night cafe.

Miles had lost his family in the Thailand tsunami several years before and his world had imploded. With his wife and daughter gone, Miles had found himself back and homeless in Australia. Through the support of a local homeless charity, he had built himself up and eventually managed to open the cafe in a bid to support himself. Joey had stumbled upon the place a couple of years ago and had frequented it ever since.

"Hey," she greeted, hoping that neither of the escorting police officers had made a note of her name.

That was something she wanted to keep out of the whole thing. The more Charlie knew about her, the easier it would be to poke around into her past. She glanced back at Charlie and Angelo. Neither of them seemed to have reacted.

"What's going on?" Miles asked, a little nervous of the police presence.

"It's cool," Joey said. "They're just buying me a cup of tea."

"Interesting company you're keeping these days," Miles remarked, not quite able to look away from the uniforms.

Joey took a deep breath and approached the counter.

"Martha died," she said.

The words were harder to say than she had even imagined it would be. Tears threatened to start and she desperately willed them away.

"What?" Miles said, her voice cracking. "How...? What?"

"The person stalking us struck again," Joey said quietly. "So I agreed to tell these two everything I know."

Miles nodded, reaching out to squeeze Joey's hand briefly but gently.

"I'm really sorry, Jo," he said.

Joey tried not to cringe at the use of her name. Miles wasn't to know why it was so important to stay anonymous. Not even Martha had really known the truth about her past.

"What can I get you?" he asked, turning to address all three of his customers.

"Tea please," Joey said.

Charlie and Angelo both asked for coffee.

"It's on the house," Miles offered.

"No, it's not," Joey said quickly. "They earn a fortune. They can afford three drinks."

She turned to look meaningfully at both of the officers.

"Can't you?"

"Yes," Charlie said, not sounding best pleased. "Now, can we just get on with this, please? We've got a murderer to catch."

"At least you've realised that," Joey remarked, sliding onto a bench in the corner.

Charlie fought back a retort and reminded herself that the woman she now knew to be nicknamed 'Joey' was grieving. She and Angelo sat opposite her.

"So, Jane Doe," she said. "What can you tell us?"

"Or are you just in for the tea?" Angelo asked sourly.

Joey glared at him.

"Do you really want to piss me off?" she asked darkly.

He swallowed and fell silent. Charlie studied the pair of them curiously before pursuing her line of questioning.

"Thank you for agreeing to talk to us," she said earnestly. "And we really are sorry for your loss."

"I want to help you," Joey said, sounding anxious and sincere.

She sniffed a little and rubbed her face.

"I don't really know if there's all that much I can say though. I think I'm still in shock."

"That's understandable," Charlie said. "I can't even imagine how hard it must be to lose your best friend."

"She was more than my friend."

Charlie tried not to look too startled but failed abysmally.

"Not like that," Joey said quickly. "Just..."

She twisted her fingers together and sniffed again.

"Have you ever known someone so completely that you felt like you could see their soul?" she asked. "And that they could see yours? You could see the good, the bad and the ugly and you loved each other anyway? That's what Martha meant to me. She was my soul mate. Do you know what I mean?"

Joey gazed at Charlie who shifted a little.

"I've never experienced that," the police officer admitted.

Angelo looked deeply offended.

"But it sounds like something very special," Charlie continued, not noticing her boyfriend's response.

Joey nodded, feeling heavy hearted.

"Is there anything you might have heard or seen over the last few weeks?" Charlie asked.

Joey sniffed again and thought back to the night she was followed.

"I don't know if it's relevant," she said.

"Well, right now the only thing we know is that the killer goes for prostitutes with dark hair," Charlie told her. "Any other light you might be able to shed would be very gratefully received."

Joey nodded and took a deep breath.

"I think I might have been an intended victim last week," she admitted.

Charlie's eyes widened in shock.

"I'd just finished with a client," Joey said, her eyes darting towards Angelo, who paled. "I was walking home and I heard footsteps behind me. I wasn't sure if it was dangerous or not so I sped up and he sped up too. Then I started running. He ran after me."

"But you escaped?" Angelo asked.

"No, I'm dead and you're talking to my ghost," Joey said sarcastically.

He glared at her with nothing less than hate.

"Did you manage to get a look at him at all?" Charlie asked more delicately.

"Not really," Joey said. "I glanced back once but I wasn't about to write down details. He was tall. Maybe six foot. His hair was dark and looked kind of messy and I think he had a beard. He was wearing dark clothes and gloves. But mostly I was focussed on getting the hell away from him."

Charlie managed a smile.

"That's understandable," she said.

"What's not understandable is that you didn't bother to mention this sooner," Angelo said. "If we'd had even a small description of the guy, perhaps your 'soul mate' wouldn't be dead now."

Joey blanched.

"Senior Constable Rosetta!" Charlie snapped. "If you're not going to help then you can go and wait outside."

Joey couldn't help but look a little smug. Angelo's hate only intensified. He remained quiet and let Charlie take the lead again.

"He's right," Joey said sadly. "I should probably have said something. I just..."

"You did what you thought was the right thing," Charlie said gently. "And the important thing now is that you're speaking up."

Joey nodded, sniffing again and willing her tears to stop threatening to spill.

"I want to help you stop whoever this guy is," she said. "And get justice for the girls who have already died. Like Martha. Especially Martha."

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"We're going to do everything we can," Charlie promised.

Joey nodded and thanked her quietly.

"That's all I know," she added.

"Thank you," Charlie said. "Listen, can we take you home? The streets aren't exactly safe right now."

Joey managed a smirk.

"I'm not stupid," she remarked.

"I don't know what you mean," Charlie replied, not quite honestly.

"I'm not about to tell you where I live," Joey said. "It's more than my life's worth."

"What does that mean?" Charlie asked, genuinely confused.

"My landlord wouldn't exactly be happy if I brought a couple of on duty cops round," Joey said. "I'm not about to piss him off."

"I presume he's more than your landlord then," Charlie remarked.

Joey merely shrugged. Her guard was evidently back up.

"No comment," she said.

Charlie nodded and managed a smile.

"Can't blame you, I guess," she said. "Although I also can't help but wonder why you'd want to do the job that you do, live the way you do."

"Good job it's not your place to judge me then," Joey remarked.

"Good job," Charlie agreed.

Joey studied her pretty face. She was surprised to find her not quite as infuriating as she had at the beginning. Perhaps it was her own private grief talking but she felt like the police officer had a lot of compassion for her.

"Anyway, can I go?" she asked.

"Are you sure you don't want a lift?" Charlie said.

"Positive," Joey said, standing up.

She waved at Miles as she headed towards the door.

"She's probably going to stop off for her next fix anyway," Angelo remarked as he and Charlie got to their feet.

Joey whirled back around, suddenly furious.

"Excuse me?" she demanded, getting into Angelo's face.

"Nobody sniffs that badly without a cold or a drug habit," Angelo remarked.

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"I have neither," Joey informed him. "I've been trying not to cry, if you must know."

"A likely story," Angelo said.

"Do you really think I'd use my best friend's death like that?" Joey snapped.

She could feel surprise aggression coursing through her veins and wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face or perhaps tell his precious little girlfriend what he was really like.

"We're not judging you," Charlie said quickly.

"Oh, so you think I'm an addict too, do you?" Joey accused.

"I don't know you," Charlie said diplomatically.

"You're right," Joey said. "You don't know me. But for your information I'm not an addict. I don't do drugs. I don't even drink alcohol. And I've spent my whole life trying to help people that do."

She stormed bitterly out of the cafe.

"Well done," Charlie said, irritated.

"What did I do?"

"You just alienated a woman that could actually help us with our investigation," Charlie said. "Just as she was starting to open up."

Angelo shrugged. He doubted she would be any help anyway.

"At least we know her name now," Charlie sighed.

"We do?" Angelo asked, genuinely surprised.

Charlie shook her head, exasperated.

"You really don't listen when people talk, do you?" she remarked.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey tells Brax about Martha and Charlie tries to find out more about Joey…<em>


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Joey was on edge for the entire walk home. She saw shadows everywhere and suddenly the world felt very cold. Letting herself into the building she called home, Joey hung around in the dingy lobby, waiting to get Heath's attention. He was drinking on the job as usual and chatting up one of the girls performing that night. Darryl 'Brax' Braxton had inherited the business from his late father, a man that Joey had grown up despising. Now, Brax was in charge of the whole production – a strip club on the outside and much more than that if you looked hard enough. She thought Heath was a sweet guy in his way, although he was definitely not the brightest spark. For the sake of family loyalty, Brax hired his younger brother as the muscle on the door.

"Hey, Jo," he greeted when the girl, a blonde called Tegan headed back through the doors and into the main arena of the building.

"Hey," Joey said weakly.

She couldn't get the image of Martha's dead body out of her head and it was making her sick.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," the middle Braxton brother remarked.

"Sort of have," Joey sighed.

Heath looked puzzled.

"Is Brax around?" Joey asked.

"In the office, I think," Heath told her. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"I'll tell you later," Joey said.

She knew better than to give vital information to anyone before Brax.

* * *

><p>"Is there any chance we could take your details down, please?" Charlie asked.<p>

She and Angelo had hung around the cafe and ordered another cup of coffee, talking the case through in as fine detail as they could. The curly haired man behind the counter looked horrified.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he said.

"We're not accusing you of anything," Charlie said gently.

Angelo remained quiet. So far this evening, every time he'd opened his mouth he'd made a mistake.

"It's just that it sounds like you know these girls," Charlie ventured.

Miles's eyes widened, looking panicked.

"I don't do anything with them!" he said quickly. "I'm not like that..."

Angelo shifted, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He just hoped Charlie would never find out that he _was _like that.

"I just look after them," Miles continued. "You know... give them a place to go that's warm. With hot drinks and... and food. Some of them are so skinny. They don't eat properly. I just try to help them."

Charlie offered her kindest smile.

"And that's really good of you," she said sincerely. "I'm certainly not accusing you of anything inappropriate. It's just that because you help these girls, because you look after them, you might be useful to our investigation. Is that okay?"

Miles nodded uncertainly.

"So, could we maybe take your name and number?"

Miles nodded again, grabbing a piece of paper and writing his details down.

"Thank you, Miles," Charlie said, making eye contact.

He nodded once more. Charlie led Angelo out of the cafe.

* * *

><p>Joey sat on the other side of Brax's desk. They were in his small office on the second floor. He poured himself a shot of whisky and offered her one too. Joey shook her head. She wasn't about to start any bad habits now.<p>

"She's definitely dead?" Brax asked.

Joey nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. Brax sighed heavily and took another shot.

"What is this fucker doing?" he wondered. "I mean... why? Does he have some sort of Jack the Ripper complex or something?"

Joey shrugged. She had no idea what to say.

"The police are trying to catch him," she ventured.

Brax looked alarmed.

"You've been talking to the cops?" he asked.

"Just about Martha," Joey said. "Nothing else."

"Do they know what you do?" Brax enquired.

"I haven't announced it but they're not stupid," Joey said. "Don't worry. They don't have my details or anything. I just told them what I knew about the guy who..."

She shook her head, feeling sick again.

"I haven't made any mistakes," she promised.

"You'd better not have," Brax warned.

"I'm not an idiot," Joey said darkly.

She hoped the memory of Miles calling her by name at the cafe didn't show on her face.

"Well, you'd better not become one," Brax replied evenly.

She watched him for a moment before excusing herself. On the landing, she considered breaking the news to Heath. He and Martha had been rather fond of each other in their time. Shaking her head, she crept up to her room instead. Letting herself into the tiny space she and Martha had occupied together for years, Joey flopped down on the bed. She closed her eyes tightly but the tears finally began to flow.

* * *

><p>As soon as Charlie returned to the police station, she called together a meeting with every available member of her team.<p>

"I have a project for a few of you," Charlie said.

Angelo sat near her, looking tired and almost bored. Sometimes she wondered if he was even aware that there was a serial killer on the loose.

"We have a name for tonight's victim already," she explained. "Her name is Martha MacKenzie and she was identified by a friend of hers. That friend might also have nearly been a victim last week. She was followed home by a stranger and she was able to give a very vague description."

"Was she a... you know?" Watson asked curiously.

"She's a prostitute, yes," Charlie said. "And I think she could be a key player in bringing this guy down."

"And do we have a name for her too?" Avery wanted to know.

"That's the project," Charlie explained. "We overheard someone calling her 'Joey' this evening. Obviously, it's not a huge amount to go on but using obvious names like Joanne or Joanna, plus the description I'll give you, I need a team to try and track her down through our database. Any volunteers?"

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie suffers parental guilt and the police finally get a break in the case…<em>


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

It was Saturday morning and although Charlie had worked through the night, she was up and awake early and determined to spend some quality time with her daughter.

"You can go back to sleep, Mum," Ruby told her as they munched breakfast together.

Yawning again, Charlie shook her head.

"We missed last Saturday so I'm not abandoning you again," she promised. "I'm not about to turn into a bad mother... I hope!"

The teenager laughed and touched Charlie's hand gently and briefly.

"You couldn't be a bad mother if you tried," she stated honestly. "But if you do need to go and nap again, you can. I can do some homework or something. It's fine. I swear."

Charlie shook her head again.

"I have to work again tonight so I don't want to miss out on spending time with you," she said. "I already feel lousy that you've had to put yourself to bed and stay home alone every night for what feels like a million years!"

"I _am _seventeen, Mum," Ruby pointed out. "I can look after myself."

"I know," Charlie replied. "And I'm very proud of you for that. However, it's my purpose in life to love you and make you happy so you're stuck with me until my shift starts tonight."

She grinned. Ruby grinned back.

"That sounds like a perfect day to me," she said.

* * *

><p>Joey woke up after a fitful night's sleep. She couldn't find a moment's peace from everything that had happened a week ago today. The room felt empty every time she woke up beside Martha. The week had been spent trying to make arrangements for her friend. She'd failed to get in touch with any member of Martha's family and the police claimed to be unable to release her body for a funeral. Joey felt like she didn't even have a chance of healing if she couldn't say a proper goodbye. But the police were still trying and apparently failing to catch the man who had killed her.<p>

Out of fear and grief, Joey had hidden out at home for most of the week. Brax had demanded that she come downstairs and perform for the punters craving a stripper with extras a couple of times but mostly, he seemed to have left her alone. Heath had also been gentle with her, for which she was grateful. He'd popped upstairs a few times to provide her with chocolate. And the youngest Braxton had also offered his condolences. Brax usually kept him out of the building. For all his bravado, Joey got the distinct impression that her pimp and landlord was rather ashamed of the way he lived his life. He wasn't unhappy enough to change his ways and Joey understood that he was probably too immersed anyway, but very occasionally, he seemed to have a stab of conscience. And that usually involved keeping his brother away from the business and insisting that he wanted something better for him.

Joey wasn't supposed to be aware that Brax had enrolled Casey at Summer Bay High under an altered surname. The Braxton name had a reputation of its own and the eldest of the brothers didn't want the youngest boy's teenage years to be tarnished with it. Joey didn't really have all that much to do with Casey but Heath had an inability to keep secrets and had told her about the name change, the boy's dyslexia and that he had an apparently very beautiful girlfriend named Ruby.

"Hey, baby," Joey said affectionately when, right on time, Bear Cat appeared to tap on the window in the slanting roof.

Hauling herself out of bed, Joey opened up. She fed the cat and then slipped back beneath the blankets. When he had finished eating, he joined her on the bed, purring loudly.

"Looks like it's just me and you, Bear," Joey sighed, stroking his ears. "You're my best friend in the world now."

* * *

><p>That evening, having had a lovely day with Ruby, Charlie arrived at work. She and her daughter had tried to include Angelo in the day's activities which had involved a walk along the beach, lots of food and vegging out on the sofa with chick flicks, but he hadn't been all that enthusiastic. Deciding that he was not keen on 'girl time', Angelo had headed out to the Surf Club and bored the bar manager, Alf Stewart, rigid with his complaints.<p>

* * *

><p>With her team crowded around her in the meeting room, Charlie addressed them all.<p>

"What have we got today?" she asked. "Any more information?"

Watson updated them all on Martha's rather gruesome injuries and revealed that they had got in touch with her adoptive parents. Unfortunately, they hadn't been all that interested, claiming that their daughter had been dead to them for a long time. With a heartless attitude like that, Charlie couldn't help but understand why the poor girl had run away. But their witness, Joey, was apparently keen to handle the funeral.

"Any more sightings of the suspect?" Charlie asked.

Watson shook her head.

"What about the Joey girl?" Charlie wanted to know.

Watson managed a smile and opened a large file.

"With that one, we've actually made some progress," she admitted.

Beside Charlie, Angelo looked more than a little uncomfortable. He deeply regretted his encounter with her that night in a dark alley. Although it had been a big thrill, the more obsessed Charlie seemed with her and the more likely it looked like she would be involved in their investigation – however grudgingly – the more he feared that he would be caught out. And for Angelo, it would be the end of the world. For starters, he would lose Charlie. And despite his actions suggesting otherwise, he loved her and wanted to share his life with her. He was even fond of Ruby when he didn't see her as competition for his girlfriend's attention. And professionally, his encounter with Joey could wreck a lot of things. A cop that got caught hooking up with a prostitute wasn't exactly going to be held in high regard. And in a town like Summer Bay, he knew he would be judged harshly. He could just hear Colleen Smart from the Diner, crowing about the disgusting actions of Senior Constable Risotto.

"Fill me in," Charlie requested.

"Well, her name is Joanne Collins," Watson explained. "She's twenty six years old and she's never had a formal address. She's been arrested lots of times but obviously not by anyone who would have recognised her in this case and connected the dots."

"What else do we know about her?" Charlie asked.

"Well, for starters, she's a River Girl," Watson said.

Charlie silently celebrated. At least they now knew where to find her and who her associates would be. She also believed she had a pretty good idea as to who her landlord and 'boss' was.

"And it looks like she's been the victim of this kind of thing before," Watson said.

Charlie froze, curious and concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"Ten years ago, there were a series of murders in this area," Watson told her. "Three women were murdered in the same way that these other girls are currently been killed. And our Ms Collins was a near victim then too. She was also a witness."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Angelo have different approaches to handling Joey and one of them unwittingly puts her in danger…<em>


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Why the hell didn't we know that this had happened?" Charlie ranted.

She had taken Angelo and Watson into her office, trusting them more than any other officers.

"I mean, you'd think while we were trying to catch a serial killer, _someone _would have flagged up the fact that this isn't the first time!"

She paced the office frantically, close to tearing her hair out.

"You'd think some fucker would have noticed!"

"Well, none of us..."

"Have lived here for more than a couple of years," Charlie snapped. "We're not meant to know the whole history of the town. Someone would have known that this was happening for a second time and they should have said something."

"Like who?" Watson dared to ask.

"Someone who's lived nearby or something," Charlie said, finally running out of steam. "Colleen Smart from the Diner is always sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong. If she knows half as much about Summer Bay and the surrounding area as she claims to, you'd think she would have done something useful with the information."

"If you ask me, that hooker has a lot to answer for," Angelo said sourly.

Charlie drew up short and stared at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, if there was anyone that could have enlightened us then it was her," Angelo pointed out. "She's nearly been killed twice now. Prostitutes are dying all around her and she still refused to give us any information."

Charlie sank down into her chair.

"Maybe she was just scared," she said, struggling to see the worst in her witness.

"What's the deal with you always giving her the benefit of the doubt?" Angelo demanded. "I mean, personally, I find the whole thing pretty dodgy. I wouldn't be surprised if she was responsible."

"Angelo!" Charlie snapped. "She's a witness and a victim, not a perpetrator."

"How do you know?" Angelo asked.

"Because... I just do..." Charlie said, feeling stupid.

Angelo shook his head.

"Maybe we should go and find her," Watson suggested in a bid to break the tension a little.

Charlie nodded.

"We need to arrest her," Angelo said certainly.

"On what grounds? Withholding information? That's a bit harsh," Charlie said defensively.

"How about screwing people for money?" Angelo said bitterly, trying to ignore the image of his own misdeed in his mind. "The last time I checked, she was nothing but a tarty criminal."

Charlie ignored him and turned to Watson.

"If she really is a River Girl then at least we have her address now," she said. "Maybe we should go and find her."

"Won't she be out on the streets, do you think?" Watson asked.

"I got the impression last week that she was keen to keep her head down," Charlie replied.

"Yeah and I can guess why," Angelo said sourly.

Charlie stood up and proposed that she and Watson investigated the strip club in Mangrove River that doubled as a brothel.

"Why her?" Angelo asked, also getting to his feet. "You and I have been partnered on this from the start."

"Well, you weren't exactly helpful last time," Charlie pointed out.

Angelo glared at his girlfriend.

"You clearly don't like her," Charlie added. "And she doesn't like you either. So Watson and I are probably the safest bet. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Nodding to Watson, Charlie led the way out of the police station.

* * *

><p>The club was loud when Joey stopped at the bar for a drink. She had been dancing and displaying her wares for most of the night and she'd hated it. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and stay there forever. But the night was far from over and she knew that there would probably be several people requiring extras soon enough. There always were.<p>

Glancing up towards the door to the venue, Joey froze. In plain clothes were two women – and one of them was Sergeant Charlie Buckton. Leaping up, Joey spilt her lemonade and hurried towards the door where it looked like Charlie was just about to flash her badge to Heath.

"We're..." Charlie began.

"With me," Joey interrupted quickly. "They booked."

"You weren't meant to have anything pre-booked tonight," Heath said doubtfully.

Joey smirked and stepped a little closer to Charlie, looking her up and down and taking her hand.

"Come on, with a chick like this, how could I resist?" she said.

Heath chuckled and nodded.

"Fair point," he said, giving them permission to leave.

"We'll be upstairs," Joey said, keeping hold of Charlie's hand and leading her and Watson to a room on the second floor.

* * *

><p>As soon as the door was safely closed, Joey dropped Charlie's hand and whirled around in sheer fury. Charlie was a little taken aback at the anger blazing in the young woman's eyes. While she had had an attitude problem up until now, she had never looked like she could be violent.<p>

"What the fuck are you playing at?" Joey demanded. "Why have you come here? _How _have you come here? I never told you about this place!"

"Yes, there are a lot of things you didn't tell me while you professing to try and help with this case," Charlie said coldly.

Joey stepped back and swallowed, surveying the police officer with distinct caution.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

Inside, her heart was racing at the thought of what the police might have uncovered. Memories invaded her brain and fought a wave of nausea.

"You forgot to mention that you've been in this position before," Charlie said. "A man hunting you in the dead of night."

Charlie watched Joey, clad in skin tight shorts and a skimpy bikini top, as her demeanour changed. Shrugging, Joey threw herself into an arm chair in the opposite corner of the room. Charlie remained near the door, with Watson quietly standing behind her.

"I'm a hooker, sweetheart," Joey said casually. "Men hunt me in the dead of night all the time."

"Presumably they hunt you in order to get laid," Charlie said. "This man tried to kill you. And I gather he _did _kill whoever you were with."

Joey swallowed, hating herself for the ached lump that appeared in her throat.

"Excuse me if it's not my favourite topic of conversation," she said bitterly.

Charlie moved forward a little. She glanced around the small room with its black walls and low lighting. There were two chairs in one corner and bed on the other side of the room. There was also a table upon which there appeared to be various items, not all of which Charlie thought she could even identify. She could only presume that they were intended for sex play and she shuddered at the thought of all the depraved acts that had probably taken place in this very room.

"You didn't think it would be worthwhile telling the officers investigating a series of murders that the same thing happened here ten years ago?" she asked.

Joey shrugged. Charlie tried not to look too intently at her. Regardless of the disdain Charlie tried to hold for her, she couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was.

"You're the cop," Joey said. "I thought you were supposed to know these things. Personally, I'm shocked that it's taken you so long to actually start doing some research. What exactly were you doing when he killed my best friend? Sitting around drinking coffee and eating doughnuts?"

"What were _you _doing, Joanne?" Charlie countered.

Joey clenched her draw and sat up a little straighter, horrified that she seemed to have found out so much about her.

"That's your name, right?" Charlie continued. "Joanne Collins?"

"I prefer Joey, thanks," the twenty six year old replied.

Feeling like she had regained some control of the situation, Charlie sat down in the opposite chair. She glanced back at Watson who remained silently by the door. She looked even more uncomfortable than Charlie did, which she thought was quite a feat.

"I bet you wouldn't sit there if you knew the kinds of things that chair has been witness to," Joey remarked, changing the subject.

Charlie shifted but tried not to react too visibly.

"That's not something I care about right now," she told her. "What I do care about is finding the man that's killing girls like you all over town."

"You know you have to pay me, right?" Joey said.

Charlie looked anxious.

"I covered for you when you foolishly showed up here," Joey reminded her. "You're booked in for an hour. If you don't hand over the cash then we'll both get caught."

Charlie shrugged and agreed. It was a small price to pay for some answers. She gasped when Joey suddenly leapt off her own chair and straddled her lap. Joey leaned in and kissed her neck, running her hands easily over her breasts.

"I don't think this is appropriate," Charlie managed, painfully aware that her body was tingling in a way she'd never experience before.

It felt more wrong than she could even describe and yet in some ways, very, very right.

"You joining in?" Joey asked, nodding her head towards Watson whose eyes were bulging out of her head.

"Joey, I need you to get off," Charlie said, trying not to reveal her own panic.

Joey sat back but did not remove herself from the pretty police officer's lap. She had a very satisfied smile on her face.

"Well now, I like a girl who's selfless," she remarked. "It's normally about the other person getting off, not me."

Charlie stood up quickly, holding onto Joey's hips so that she didn't fall to the ground. She was shocked when the girl wrapped her slender thighs around her hips.

"Seriously," she said, irritated. "Leave me alone before I do you for assault!"

Joey dropped her legs but remained standing close to her. Without warning, she leant in and kissed her.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie attempts to interview Joey…<em>


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Charlie's first instinct was to jerk away. But the surprising softness and warmth of Joey's lips, pressed gently against hers, gave her pause. Charlie became aware with some shock that even without things developing further than closed lip contact, it was the best kiss she'd ever had. Eventually, her heart racing a little, Charlie came to her senses and moved away. She gazed at Joey and then glanced back at Watson who looked like her eyes were going to fall out of her head. Charlie would certainly have some explaining to do on the way back to the police station.

"You know I could do you for assault for that," she remarked.

Joey merely smirked at her.

"I don't think it counts as assault when you have a witness who would testify that you clearly enjoyed it," she pointed out. "You didn't exactly hurry to pull away."

Charlie frowned but had no argument.

"Anyway," she said. "Can you stop messing around and talk to us, please?"

"I really don't have anything to say," Joey said, sinking back into her chair.

Against her better judgement, Charlie took the other chair.

"Do you think the person responsible for the current spate of murders is related to the man who attacked you ten years ago?"

Joey shrugged, keeping her face void of emotion as she internally battled with memories.

"How am I supposed to know?" she asked. "You're the cop."

"Well, you've interacted with one killer twice or two killers once each, which is more than I've managed to do," Charlie pointed out. "And for the sake of avoiding yet another poor woman being stabbed, it would be good if you could at least try and help us out."

"Why are you so focussed on me?" Joey asked, her voice cracking a little. "I'm not important. I don't matter. I have nothing to contribute."

"I think you do," Charlie said.

Joey was startled by how sincere she sounded.

"I have no more idea who's responsible for Martha and the other girls' deaths than you do," she said sadly. "I wish I did. I wish I could help you put a stop to it but I honestly don't know anything."

"Could you just describe what happened to you ten years ago?" Charlie begged. "Everything you can remember. Even the most insignificant detail could be important, it could give us a direction to go in."

Joey sighed heavily. She gazed into Charlie's eyes and was suddenly struck by just how blue they were.

"I was out with... a friend," she said hesitantly. "We'd been working the streets for a few hours like we normally did but we decided we were hungry and tired so we were heading to a chip shop for a kebab."

She smirked, meeting Charlie's eyes.

"Now, nobody could accuse me of not being a classy bird, hey?" she joked.

Charlie chuckled softly but didn't speak, wanting to give Joey the space to continue speaking.

"We got jumped by some guy," Joey ventured, her voice wobbling a little. "Thinking about it, he was probably quite similar to the guy I met the other night. I didn't get a good look at him either time but he was of a similar build and both of them were wearing gloves."

She sighed heavily before ploughing on.

"He grabbed my... friend and... and he stabbed her. He stabbed her fifteen times in the chest and the stomach. I was terrified but I tried to wrestle him away from her. He punched me and I got slashed on the cheek with the knife."

She leant forward and pointed to a scar on her cheek that she had always been grateful didn't particularly stand out. She found it hard enough to look in the mirror anyway and face herself without the worst night of her life glaring back at her. Charlie also leant forward, although she was careful to keep her distance. She noted the scar, about two inches in length and pale amid the gently tanned skin on Joey's otherwise flawless face.

"He yelled at her that it was her fault and that he'd get me next," Joey said, sitting back and clasping his hands together. "He said he was going to 'put and end to it all'."

"It all?" Charlie queried. "What does that mean?"

Joey shrugged, although she was clearly affected by the retelling of the story.

"Hell if I know," she said.

"Who was the woman that died?" Charlie asked.

"You should know," Joey said. "She should be in your system."

"She is but I can't think of her name right now," Charlie said. "Care to help me out?"

"Claudia," Joey said mutely.

"Surname?"

"Can't remember."

"And what was her relationship to you?"

"A friend," Joey lied.

"And did you ever get mixed up in some kind of difficulty with her or...?"

"Aside from watching her be murdered by a madman?" Joey snapped.

"Aside from that," Charlie said, keeping her tone gentle.

Joey shrugged.

"Nothing really," she lied. "I've never really had much to do with anyone aside from Martha."

Charlie nodded. A theory was starting to force its way into her brain and it wasn't one she liked.

"Are we done?" Joey asked.

Charlie glanced back at Watson.

"Yes," she said, standing up. "We're done. But don't be surprised if we need to come back."

"Don't be surprised if I try to avoid you," Joey replied.

Charlie nodded and followed Watson out the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Joey asked.

When Charlie looked confused, Joey held out her hand. Grudgingly, especially in light of kissing her, Charlie dug into her pocket and handed over some notes, as well as her business card.

"Until next time," she said pleasantly.

"Until next time," Joey replied.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Watson promises confidentiality about the kiss while neither Charlie nor Joey can stop thinking about it…<em>


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"I can't believe you kissed her," Watson chuckled as she and Charlie headed towards their car.

"I didn't kiss her!" Charlie squeaked. "_She _kissed _me_! Without permission!"

"And without resistance either," Watson remarked.

Charlie paused and took hold of Watson's arm, looking very serious.

"I didn't kiss her back," she lied. "She just... startled me. But please don't go back and tell Angelo – or anyone – what happened. It would make my life hell."

Watson smiled.

"Your secret's safe with me," she promised. "Even if I am very jealous."

Charlie looked startled.

"Jealous?"

"I know she's a hooker and I know you're straight but even you have to admit she's hot," Watson said.

Charlie blushed and nodded as they resumed walking towards the car.

"She's beautiful," she admitted coyly. "And I feel sorry for her having to live the life that she does."

Watson nodded.

"Yeah," she sighed. "None of this can have been easy for her."

"So, we're happy to keep certain details of this evening under our hats?" Charlie asked.

"Your secret dies with me," Watson promised.

They high fived before climbing into the car.

* * *

><p>That night, with her head full of her encounter with Charlie, Joey just about managed to wangle the rest of the night off. She was relieved to have been able to get away with just dancing in her underwear without have to go into any back rooms with the dirty, old men who frequented the club. The only 'extra' work she had done had been with Charlie and that hadn't exactly been a trauma.<p>

Locking her door behind her and letting Bear Cat in through the window, she fed him, undressed and flopped back on her mattress. Closing her eyes, she imagined that she could still feel Charlie's lips against hers. She had made it look like she was completely in control but the intimate contact with the pretty police officer had turned her legs to jelly. After twenty six years and untold experiences of sexual activity, Joey Collins had had her first ever kiss.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?" Angelo asked on the way home.<p>

He was driving and Charlie, who had surprised him no end but actually agreeing to come home at the end of her shift instead of doing constant overtime, was looking blankly out of the window.

"Charlie?" he nudged when she didn't answer.

"Sorry, what?" Charlie asked, snapping back to attention.

Her mind was still in the upstairs room of the brothel. And in that room, her lips were still pressed against Joey's. Just the fact that it had happened spun her out. For starters, because she had paid for the hour they'd spent together, did kissing her and receiving the odd grope constitute paying for a hooker? Was that what she had done? Was she as bad as all the people she looked down on and accused of being perverts?

And equally as important, Charlie had never kissed a girl before. She'd never gone near another woman. But after the moment with Joey, Charlie was bewildered and alarmed to realise that perhaps that was what she had been missing all along. She wasn't sure if it was girls in general or just this particular girl that she was attracted to and switching teams was certainly nothing that had ever occurred to her before. But tonight, she'd had the best kiss of her life. And it was driving her insane.

"Are you okay?" Angelo repeated.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Charlie lied.

She just hoped that her boyfriend would be too tired to try anything. The last thing she wanted to do was be intimate with a man when she had just started to realise that perhaps being with a woman was what she wanted.

"What's on your mind?" Angelo asked, pulling into a parking space outside their apartment.

Charlie immediately pictured Joey's beautiful face, complete with the scar on her cheek.

"Nothing," she said. "Just... you know, the case."

Killing the engine and un-strapping his seatbelt, Angelo leant over and stole a kiss.

"Well, maybe I could take your mind off it," he said rather suggestively.

Charlie faked a smile and then faked a yawn.

"If I wasn't about to pass out from sheer exhaustion then that would be great," she said, escaping into the house.

Angelo sighed heavily and followed her. Now in a bad mood on the basis of being rejected, Angelo stomped to their bedroom, changed quickly and dived under the blankets. Charlie dumped her keys and bag and then poked her head around Ruby's door.

"Mum?" came a quiet squeak from where, in the darkness, Charlie could just about make out her bed.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she said gently.

"I love you," Ruby mumbled.

Charlie smiled to herself.

"I love you too, darling," she said. "I'll see you in the morning."

Closing the door again, Charlie headed to her own room, changed and climbed into bed.

"Goodnight," she said when she clicked the lamp off.

Angelo ignored her. Wasting no time on fretting over his mood, Charlie dropped straight off to sleep... and immediately began dreaming of Joey.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey makes a cameo in Charlie's dreams…<em>


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

In her sleep, Charlie drifted back to the room she'd been in early that night with Joey. The only difference was that Watson wasn't there this time; they were completely alone.

"I knew you'd come back," Joey purred.

Charlie licked her lips as she looked the young woman up and down. It felt wrong to lust after her like that but she just couldn't quite stop herself.

"How could I resist?" she said, trying to sound seductive but mostly feeling like a fool.

Joey moved forward and caught Charlie up in her arms. She kissed her with a passion that took her breath away. Charlie melted against Joey's lips, wrapping her arms around her waist. Joey reached up, placing one hand on Charlie's shoulder and the other around the back of her neck. She pulled her ever closer and they continue to explore each other's mouths. A little clumsily, Joey pulled Charlie across the room and they tumbled on the bed together. Joey flipped Charlie over that she was lying on her back. Straddling her hips, Joey sat up and watched Charlie lie breathlessly on the bed. She smiled.

"You know, I really didn't think you were that kind of girl," she remarked.

Charlie offered a half smile.

"What can I say?" she said. "I'm full of surprises.

She ran her fingers up Joey's bare tummy, appreciating the smooth warmth of her skin. In underwear that barely covered anything at all, Joey was certainly giving her a good view.

"You'd better be," Joey said.

In one swift motion, she reached behind her and undid her bra. Flinging it across the room, she shifted so that Charlie could reach out and touch her breasts. Charlie moaned at the contact, at touching a woman intimately for the first time. She teased her until her nipples hardened against her hand. Reaching to touch Joey's back, Charlie pulled her gently lower. She kissed her lips briefly but passionately before immediately setting to work on her breasts again, but this time, she was desperate to taste as well as touch.

Charlie smiled as she heard Joey groan a little as she ravished her body. She felt Joey run her fingers through her hair a little roughly. Spurred on, Charlie sucked harder at every piece of exposed skin she could find. She felt like a fire was burning between her legs and she had never experienced a lust like this before. No boyfriend, short or long term had ever incited so much reaction in her. Perhaps this really was what she had been missing all these years.

She closed her eyes as Joey took control of the situation again, removing her nipple from Charlie's hungry mouth and resting their bodies together. She cupped one of Charlie's breasts as she impolitely kissed her neck, sucking her pulse point a little too hard. Joey felt Charlie's body efficiently through her clothes before beginning to rip her shirt open. Normally meticulous, Charlie barely even noticed as buttons began to ping across the room.

She sucked in her breath as she lay with her shirt open. Joey had inevitably seen a lot of bodies in her time and suddenly Charlie felt nervous of the appraisal she might receive.

"Do you have any idea how hot you are?" Joey asked.

Charlie blushed, making her grin.

"I'm guessing from that blush that that's a no," Joey said.

She guided Charlie into a sitting position and removed her shirt completely. She undid her bra with ease and then shifted so that she could remove her boots, socks and trousers. Charlie, a woman who provided herself in always being in control, was more than happy to bend to Joey's every whim. Moving closer, Joey whipped off Charlie's underwear, stepping out of her own in the process.

Charlie's heart pounded as Joey came to lie on top of her again, wedging her thigh between her legs. Joey closed her eyes, looking like she was relishing the warmth of Charlie's sheer excitement against her skin. She kissed her neck and teased her breasts with her fingers. She pressed her thigh against Charlie's legs and smiled as she began to grind against her.

"Tell me what you want," Joey whispered against Charlie's shoulder.

"I just want... you," Charlie gasped.

Joey kissed her several times.

"How much do you want me?" she asked.

"I want you more than I thought it was even possible to want someone," Charlie gasped.

She could feel herself perspiring as she retained as much intimate contact with Joey as was permitted.

"I want you too," Joey said. "More than _I've _ever wanted anyone else. I want to make you scream."

Charlie squeaked as Joey abruptly pinned her hands behind her head. She gazed into her eyes and moved to straddle her again, her own warm centre pressing gently against Charlie's tummy.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

Charlie hesitated. As delicious as she was, she was technically a criminal. Was she really the kind of person that could be trusted? She studied her pretty face and surprisingly innocent eyes. She felt her body and tuned into the lust that was surging between them.

"Yes," she said. "I trust you."

Without a moment's hesitation, Joey reached out for a pair of handcuffs. Charlie didn't resist as Joey cuffed her to the bed frame. Her body tingled in excited anticipation. Joey leant in and kissed her again, trailing the tip of her tongue from her mouth and down to the surface between her breasts, which were heaving more with every move Joey made.

Joey took the peak of first one breast and then the other into her mouth. She sucked until Charlie's body began to ache. Travelling down further, she kissed her tummy, past her belly button and then settled between her legs.

Charlie felt nervous at just how excited she was. Would Joey laugh at her for being so ready, willing and eager?

"Are you okay?" Joey asked, sitting up abruptly when she felt Charlie tense.

Charlie nodded but looked a little pale. Joey refused to move until she understood what was going on.

"I just got a bit nervous..."

"It's a bit late for that, isn't it, sweetheart?" Joey smirked.

Charlie blushed and smiled, suddenly realising just how sweet Joey really was.

"I'm very... excited..." Charlie ventured. "I was worried you'd laugh."

Without speaking, Joey slipped and finger gently between Charlie's wet folds. Looking back up at her face, she smiled.

"How could I ever laugh at such a compliment?" she asked.

Charlie smiled and visibly relaxed. Taking it as her cue to continue, Joey sank back down and began to play. Tenderness was lost as Joey licked and kissed, inserting one finger, then two and then three deep inside Charlie. The police officer cried out as Joey penetrated her, using her thumb to toy with her clitoris.

Charlie writhed beneath Joey, gasping for air as passion built. She pulled roughly against her constraints as Joey built up a rhythm of pleasure. Still with her fingers inside Charlie, Joey moved that she was lying on top of her again, able to look into her eyes.

Using her thigh to give her extra momentum, Joey continued to thrust into Charlie. She studied her face as she came closer and closer to orgasm. The closer to the edge she got, the harder and quicker Joey worked. Charlie caught her smile as she climaxed. And just as Joey had desired, she screamed her name at the top of her lungs.

* * *

><p>In bed, Charlie sat up abruptly, flushed and sweating. Angelo sat up, looking sleepy and confused.<p>

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Charlie studied his expression, panicked over whether she had really screamed Joey's name of if it had just been part of the dream.

"Just... weird dreams," she mumbled, sinking back onto the mattress.

Angelo grunted and rolled over, eager for sleep. Charlie remained where she was for a few moments before giving up on sleep altogether and heading for a cold shower.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Ruby ponders her friend Dex's sexuality while Brax finds out about Joey's involvement with the police…<em>


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Joey woke with a jolt at the sound of a loud banging on her door. She nearly fell over herself trying to shoo Bear Cat back out of the window so that she didn't get caught having a pet. The poor, little tabby had nobody in the world but her and she was not about to abandon him any time soon. He was all _she _had in the world now too.

"What?" she said by way of greeting when she finally pulled open her door.

Brax pushed the door so hard that it smacked her in the face. He strode into the room as she doubled over, clutching her cheek and feeling the distinct sensation of bleeding. She whirled around just in time for Brax to shove her hard in the shoulders. She stumbled back against the wall, where he kicked her in the stomach. Winded, Joey doubled over again, gasping for breath. She tried not to think about the cracking sound her ribs had made when they'd come into contact with his boot. He lurched forward again and grabbed her by her throat, almost completely cutting off her air supply.

"What the fuck are you doing with those cops?" he snarled, leaning in close to her.

She could feel his breath on her face and his eyes burned into hers.

"What... what do you...?" she spluttered, not able to breathe enough to speak.

He relaxed his hand a little but adamantly held her in place.

"What do you mean?" she managed.

"You and those cops last night," Brax said. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I fuck cops all the time," Joey pointed out, still breathless.

Pain overwhelmed her and she hated herself for the way her eyes were beginning to water.

"And you just so happened to have forgotten to book them in?"

"So sue me," Joey replied.

"I'll do more than fucking sue you," Brax snapped.

He slammed her hard against the wall again. Joey hit her head. Then everything went black.

* * *

><p>"What on earth are you looking at?" Charlie asked.<p>

Ruby nearly leapt out of her skin as her mother appeared behind her in the living room, where she had been googling on the computer.

"Nothing!" she said quickly, looking exceptionally guilty.

Charlie raised her eyebrows at the PFLAG website Ruby had opened in the internet browser.

"Is there something you haven't told me?" Charlie asked with a smirk.

"No!" Ruby said. "Although... if there _was_, what would you think?"

"I'd be surprised, considering how boy crazy you are but... I wouldn't object."

She tried to keep her voice even as she fought images of last night's dream. It had left her more than a little hot and bothered and she very much hoped she didn't have to face Joey any time soon. That would most definitely be embarrassing.

"You're cool with the gays then?" Ruby asked.

"Of course I am," Charlie said. "You'd have to be pretty ignorant these days to have an objection. There's nothing wrong with two men or two women loving each other."

Again, images of her dream invaded her brain. She just hoped she wasn't blushing.

Ruby studied her mother curiously. Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder if there was an underlying reason as to why her Mum couldn't get excited about any of her relationships. She was certain that it wasn't because she was incapable of loving someone or feeling passionate. Charlie was deeply devoted to her work and she was an affectionate, wonderful mother. It always seemed like she picked partners that never had that much of an effect on her.

"Anyway," Charlie said, interrupting the teenager's thoughts. "What's the deal?"

"We think one of our friends might be gay," Ruby ventured. "He does this online blog thing and... well, he's made this alter ego... a _female _alter ego and now the rest of us are wondering..."

"Maybe he's just creative," Charlie suggested.

"That's what Indi thinks."

"So, who are we talking about here?" Charlie asked. "Dex?"

Living in a small town, it was difficult not to know everyone. Currently, Ruby hung out with a small crowd of local kids – Dex, April, Xavier, Romeo and her boyfriend, Casey. Casey was the only person Charlie hadn't yet met, although she had tried to orchestrate a meeting several times. Ruby insisted that Casey was too nervous to meet her but kept promising she would eventually persuade him to come round for tea one day. Ruby's other friends, Nicole and Indi had recently graduated and gone on to University, where Ruby planned to go next year herself.

"How did you guess?" Ruby remarked.

"I'm very clever," Charlie smirked.

* * *

><p>Joey came to on her bedroom floor. The first thing she was aware of was the vast amount of pain she was in. She hurt in places she hadn't before she'd blacked out so she could only assume that more of a beating had taken while she was unconscious. She winced as she tried to sit up. She felt as if her whole face was bleeding.<p>

"Brax told me to wait for you to wake up," said a voice.

Joey jolted at the sound, realising that Heath was perched on the edge of her mattress.

"How caring," she remarked.

"He said you have to pack your stuff and go," Heath told her. "I'm sorry, Joey."

Joey tried to stand but wobbled back into sitting immediately. Heath reached out and touched her hand.

"I can drive you to the hospital if you need me to," he offered.

Joey heisted, worried that all of this could be a test. Surely if she raised the alarm by going to the hospital, it would just anger Brax more. With Heath's help, she managed to stand but her eyes watered from pain.

"Okay," she agreed. "Okay."

"Do you need me to help you pack?" he asked, looking genuinely regretful about her departure.

Over the years, Heath and Joey had developed an unlikely but genuine friendship.

"No," she said, gasping a little. "Just wait outside and I'll sort my stuff out."

* * *

><p>Angelo had gone out to spend some time with his mates, leaving Charlie and Ruby watching a DVD together at home.<p>

"Mum..." Ruby ventured.

"Mmm...?"

"Are you and Angelo happy together?"

The question took Charlie by surprise. She paused the DVD.

"Why would you ask that?" she asked anxiously.

"You just... don't seem to be," Ruby admitted.

Charlie shrugged and pressed play again.

"Things are okay," she said. "Nothing special. But it's okay."

* * *

><p>"Is there anyone we can call for you?" the nurse asked.<p>

Joey had several injuries to her face, one of which had required stitches. She had two cracked ribs, a bruised back and some injuries to her legs. She'd been forced to have an MRI to check for any brain damage, after admitting to being knocked out.

"Is the guy I came in with still in the waiting room?" she asked.

"No," the nurse said. "He left as soon as you were brought to cubicles, I'm afraid."

Joey nodded glumly.

"So, is there anyone I can call?"

Joey sighed. She winced as she dug Charlie's business card out of her pocket. Staring at the name, she was devastated to realise that the police officer was possibly the only person she had in the world - minus Bear Cat of course. She still hadn't quite figured out what to do about him yet. The poor boy would be home, expecting food soon and she wouldn't be there to provide.

"Can you call Sergeant Buckton, please?" she asked, handing the card over.

The nurse accepted the offering and nodded.

"Of course I can," she said.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie helps Joey…<em>


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Charlie arrived at the hospital in a state of confusion. Catching the attention of the receptionist behind the desk, she asked after Joanne Collins.

"Oh, yes, she's in cubicle number three," the receptionist said, before waving over a nurse to show Charlie where to go.

Arriving in the small curtained off 'room', Charlie was more than a little started to see Joey, looking so frail and vulnerable on the bed. She had a black eye and several facial injuries.

"Fancy seeing you here," she said, mumbling a little through her swollen lip.

"I was surprised to hear from you," Charlie ventured.

The nurse left, closing the curtain behind her and Charlie moved closer to the bed. Joey observed her every move. Out of uniform, Charlie was even prettier, the same as she had been last night, although in a different way. Last night, she had been dressed up. Today, she was wearing stonewash jeans and a fitted t-shirt with Miss Piggy on the front and the words 'Miss Independent' stretched across her voluptuous chest. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and her makeup was light. She had trainers on her feet. She looked stunning without even trying.

"Well, it's your fault that I'm here," Joey accused unhappily.

"My fault?" Charlie asked.

She stiffened, more than ready to argue her case if need be.

"You were recognised as a cop last night," Joey said, not meeting her gaze. "And it left me battered and homeless."

Charlie chewed her lip, feeling guilty. She apologised quietly.

"Why did you have to come to my work?" Joey asked. "My home?"

"We needed your help with the case!"

"I told you I couldn't help you!" Joey argued.

She surprised herself by bursting into tears. Charlie hurried forward without thinking, gathering the vulnerable young woman into her arms. Joey hesitated for a moment, not used to such physical comfort but eventually relaxed into her embrace. Letting out all her feelings about every tragedy in her life, old and new, she wept in Charlie's arms.

* * *

><p>It was several minutes later before Charlie and Joey drew silently away from each other. Joey rubbed her eyes and winced when she caught her bruises.<p>

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm not normally the break down and cry type."

Charlie perched on the edge of the bed.

"It's fine," she said gently. "After everything you've been through..."

Joey shrugged and then winced again. Brax had apparently also injured her shoulder.

"What are you going to do now?" the police officer asked as delicately as possible.

Not learning her lesson, Joey shrugged again.

"I have no idea," she admitted. "Everything I have to my name is in that carrier bag."

She nodded to a small bag on the floor, stuffed with a few humble belongings.

"I have nowhere to go."

"Will the hospital let you out today or...?"

"I'm free to go whenever I like," Joey confirmed. "But, I didn't know where to go next. And tragically, you're the only person I could call."

Charlie managed a smile.

"I'm flattered," she said.

Joey couldn't help but chuckle.

"Let's get you out of here," Charlie decided. "Have you eaten?"

"Minus the end of Brax's boot, nope," Joey said.

"Then let's make food our first stop," Charlie said.

She stood and extended her hand to help Joey get to her feet.

* * *

><p>"Where are we?" Joey asked.<p>

It was twenty minutes later and rather than stopping at a cafe or some such place, as expected, Charlie had pulled up outside a house.

"We're at my house," Charlie told her, killing the engine and unstrapping herself.

Joey was instantly alarmed.

"Look, I don't know what you're expecting of me..."

"I'm expecting to provide you with a decent meal and a chance to rest," Charlie replied calmly. "And from there, we'll figure out what to do next."

Joey remained cautious but nodded.

"Fine," she said. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>Letting herself into her apartment, Charlie was greeted by Ruby, who looked a little bewildered when she spotted Joey hovering nervously in the door.<p>

"Who's this?" she asked.

"Ruby, this is Joey," Charlie introduced. "She's part of my current investigation. Joey, this is Ruby, my daughter."

Joey's eyes widened in surprise but she tried not to show it. The police officer certainly didn't look old enough to have a teenage daughter.

"Pleased to meet you, Joey," Ruby said politely, extending her hand.

Joey hesitated for a moment before shaking the young girl's hand. She really wasn't used to manners.

"I was going to go out and see Casey," Ruby said to her mother.

Joey froze at the name but didn't speak up. Surely there had to be lots of Casey's around. In fact, she was sure there had been a girl at school who went by that name. Ruby's friend certainly didn't have to be the youngest Braxton boy.

"Okay," Charlie said. "Make sure you're back by nine though."

"I will," Ruby promised, heading past them and out the front door.

"Is Casey her mate?" Joey asked, following Charlie obediently into the living room.

"Boyfriend," Charlie said. "I haven't even met him yet. She thinks he has some sort of issue with her living with two cops."

Joey nodded, her anxiety growing. She perched on the edge of the sofa when Charlie gestured for her to make herself comfortable.

"She's not dating a crim, is she?" Joey wondered, keeping her tone as light as possible.

"I hope not!" Charlie said. "I can't even tell you how many times I've considered breaking the rules and running a background check on the guy. But from what Ruby says, he sounds pretty sweet. I just wish I could check him out for myself."

"Do you need much information for that kind of thing?"

"Just a full name and vague location," Charlie said. "I gather he's called Casey Blackland and he lives over in Mangrove River."

Joey swallowed. She needed no more confirmation over who the boy was. Cautiously, she kept the information under her hat. For now, she hadn't yet worked out whether Charlie was a friend or a foe. And regardless of how his brother had treated her today and for many years prior, Casey was a good kid and the last thing Joey wanted was to make trouble for him.

"So, what would you like to eat?" Charlie asked brightly.

"Anything really," Joey said, feeling awkward. "I'm pretty easy to please."

"Sandwiches and salad type things?" Charlie suggested.

Joey nodded and smiled.

"Follow me," Charlie instructed, leading the way to the back of the house and into the kitchen.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie poses a theory to Joey…<em>


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Having eaten sandwiches and also indulged in a packet of crisps each, Charlie and Joey tried to figure out what to do next. Having a police officer take a prostitute into her house in a bid to look after her was a somewhat strange situation. Charlie knew she was probably overstepping the boundaries but not only did she want to take any opportunity to solve her case, she also wanted to help Joey out of her current predicament. She was aware that she had launched herself into a 'soul saving' mission as Angelo was calling it and she knew she was guilty of having done this, at least to a degree, several times. But something about this case, and this girl, felt different. Charlie was compelled to help her in ways even she didn't understand.

"So, is all this leading somewhere?" Joey asked, getting right to the point.

They were seated on either end of Charlie's sofa in the lounge, carefully surveying each other.

"What do you mean?" Charlie replied, feigning innocence.

"You're helping me because you think I'll be useful to your case, right?" Joey said. "But I'm sorry. I won't be. I told you everything I know."

She shifted a little and finished the rest of her juice. Perhaps her last sentence hadn't been completely true but at best, she felt it was a technicality.

"Even if you don't know anything, Joey," Charlie ventured. "I think you can be useful."

"How so?" Joey asked cautiously.

"I have a theory about the murderer, if you want to hear it," Charlie said.

Joey settled back against the cushions and folded her arms.

"Shoot," she permitted.

"It's not the nicest theory in the world," Charlie admitted.

"I doubt anything you can say will give me nightmares," Joey replied.

"I think you've been the killer's intended victim all along," Charlie said quickly.

Joey sucked in her breath and felt a little lightheaded but was quick to shake it off.

"And what makes you think that, Sergeant Buckton?" Joey asked curiously.

"The things you mentioned he said when he attacked your friend ten years ago," Charlie explained. "The fact that he's come after you twice now. And the fact that his MO is to attack prostitutes with dark hair in their twenties. He never goes for anything different."

"That's a pretty loose theory, if you don't mind my saying," Joey said, although the words had hit home.

"Maybe," Charlie said. "But right now, it's pretty much all I've got."

"And you think picking me up from hospital and making me sandwiches is going to turn me into your puppet?" Joey asked.

A smirk twitched at the corner of Charlie's mouth.

"I gave you a packet of crisps too," she reminded her.

Joey surprised them both by laughing.

"Well, that makes all the difference," she said.

Charlie chuckled and for a long moment, the two women gazed at each other, neither quite able to process exactly what they were feeling.

"I'll level with you, Joey," Charlie finally said. "I'm desperate to solve this case. And I genuinely think you're the key to that and I want you to help me. However, even if you said now that you'd never talk to me about it again or help me in anyway, I'd still want to help you."

"Why?" Joey asked.

She was far from used to people being nice to her, especially without an ulterior motive.

"Because you're suffering and I can't bear to watch that without trying to help you," Charlie said sincerely. "I couldn't leave you battered and homeless and lost. It's not right."

"You seriously expect me to believe that you're being nice to me out of the goodness of your heart?" Joey asked sceptically.

"No," Charlie admitted. "I doubt you'd believe that. But it's true."

Joey shifted a little, pondering her options.

"Could you take me to a hostel or something please?" she asked.

"Sure," Charlie said. "Unless there's anything else you want first?"

"Like what?" Joey asked sharply, immediately on edge.

"More food, a bath... anything really," Charlie said, unfazed.

Joey tried to hide it but her eyes lit up at the thought of a bath.

"You want a bath?" Charlie asked, immediately picking up on it.

Joey shook her head.

"It's fine," she murmured.

"You can have one," Charlie said. "I'm not in a rush to get rid of you. And I think I have some nice bubble bath stuff that will help with soothing your injuries."

"I don't want to be a bother," Joey said, sounding surprisingly vulnerable.

She was startled but not repelled when Charlie gently touched her hand.

"It's really no bother," the police officer assured her. "I can run it for you right now, if you like."

Joey hesitated for a moment, weighing her options. It just felt too strange to accept genuine kindness from someone. But it had been a long time since she'd had a proper bath. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time. It was probably in a hotel with one of her nicer regulars. But it would be lovely to have one here, where nobody was expecting any kind of sexual reward.

"Okay, thanks," she accepted.

Charlie smiled and led the way to the bathroom. Joey watched from the doorway as Charlie rinsed the tub out and then began filling it with water. She rummaged in cupboards to find the right bubble bath, which was indeed intended to help sore muscles. Joey's injuries were beginning to ache more and more. Her shoulder was almost completely stiff.

"I'll go grab you some towels and stuff," Charlie said politely.

She shuffled past Joey and headed into the bedroom. She re-emerged with towels and a smile, sitting them on top of the clothes basket, ready for Joey for when she got out of the bath.

"How long have I got?" Joey asked,

"As long as you like," Charlie replied.

"Could I go get my book from my bag?" Joey wondered hopefully.

"Sure," Charlie chuckled.

Wincing a little from the movement, Joey hurried off to retrieve her little carrier bag. Charlie finished running the water and checked that it was warm enough.

"All ready for you," she said, stepping out of the room.

"Thanks," Joey said.

She gazed into Charlie's eyes.

"Really," she added sincerely.

Charlie smiled and then closed the door. Standing in the hallway, she hoped Angelo wouldn't be home too soon. He would be less than impressed with her day's decision making.

"Shit," she heard Joey mumbled through the door.

Charlie knocked and asked if she was okay.

"I can't get my bra off," Joey admitted. "My shoulder's pretty much seized up."

"I could um... help," Charlie ventured. "If you need me to?"

Joey hesitated for a moment, feeling anxious.

"I won't look," Charlie added.

Suddenly the door opened. Charlie couldn't quite tear her gaze away from the beautiful woman, standing in her underwear in the middle of the bathroom.

"I'm a hooker, sweetheart," Joey said with some of her old swagger. "Do you think I give a shit about who sees my tits?"

Charlie blushed, feeling rather startled as Joey turned round. With slightly trembling fingers, Charlie undid the clasp. Shrugging the item off, Joey turned round. She slipped easily out of her final item of clothing also.

"I thought you weren't going to look," she remarked, stepping into the bath as Charlie continued to blush.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Angelo is furious with Charlie and Joey decides to help with the case…<em>


	20. Chapter 20

_Don't worry, Joey has not forgotten about Bear Cat and he will indeed make an appearance again soon. Similarly, to those people I owe emails to, I haven't forgotten about you either and I will get in touch as soon as I can. Please bear with me! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty**

"I need to pee!" Angelo cried as he burst through the front door, leaving it open, and charged down the hall to the bathroom where Charlie was just shutting the door in order to give her guest some privacy.

"You can't!" she replied urgently, blocking the door as Angelo tried to get through.

"Please don't tell me Ruby's having one of her infuriatingly long baths!" he complained, hopping up and down and trying to cross his legs at the same time.

Charlie couldn't help but laugh at him, which only annoyed him more. She took his arm and led him back down the hall and into the lounge.

"Joey's having a bath," she said.

Angelo looked bewildered as he ran through a list of Charlie's friends in his mind.

"Who the hell's Jo...?"

He trailed off, startled when he realised exactly who his girlfriend was talking about.

"The hooker?" he bellowed, leaping to his feet.

Charlie stood too, having just about got them to sit down in the first place.

"I'm about to piss myself because you have a whore taking a bubble bath?" he yelled angrily.

"Don't call her that!" Charlie snapped back.

"What the hell else should I call her?" Angelo demanded. "That's what she is! She's a disease ridden slut who fucks people for money, Charlie! What the hell are you thinking bringing her here?"

"She's a vulnerable young woman in a difficult situation!" Charlie argued.

Angelo was even angrier than she had anticipated.

"She's a prostitute!"

"And you think that's a dream job for her, do you?" Charlie snapped. "Nobody would willingly end up in that position. Cut her some slack!"

"Why do I need to?" Angelo remarked. "You're obviously cutting her enough slack for the whole fucking police force."

Clenching her jaw, Charlie moved Angelo to sit back on the sofa again.

"This girl could be the key to this case," she said, opting to leave out the fact that she had mostly been driven by compassion.

It wasn't something Angelo needed to know at this point.

"You're right there," Angelo spat. "If you ask me, she's the killer."

Charlie looked horrified.

"Of course she's not the killer!" she shrieked.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I just do," Charlie said weakly. "She's a good person."

"She's a whore."

"She's more than her job, Angelo," Charlie insisted. "And if we can get her to work with us..."

Angelo stood up.

"There is no 'we' here, Charlie," he said, wincing as he remembered he needed the toilet. "You've invited a criminal into our home without even thinking about consulting me. Not to mention that she could have run into your daughter at any point."

Charlie kept her face blank. Another thing Angelo didn't need to know was that Joey and Ruby had already met.

"I'll see you at work," Angelo finished bitterly.

Without another word, he stormed out of the house.

* * *

><p>Joey lay back in the bathtub with her eyes closed. She pondered her book but there was no way she could concentrate on anything but the argument she had heard Charlie having with her lowlife boyfriend. She felt sad at the thought that Charlie was lying to her and acting out of a need for help with her investigation as opposed to being kind hearted. But despite her scepticism and caution when it came to most people, for some reason, she couldn't help but trust Charlie. It was strange and unnerving but it was most definitely real.<p>

She most certainly did not trust Angelo, though. She was deeply offended by his words, considering that he had been one of her customers not so long ago. He hadn't seemed to object to her then and this apparent disease he was now accusing her of, hadn't seemed to matter either when he hadn't wanted to use a condom. She had a good mind to tell poor Charlie exactly what she was dating but at the same time, she wasn't sure what good it would do. Who Charlie shared her life with was not really of Joey's concern. She certainly didn't owe her anything.

Keeping her eyes shut, Joey held her breath and sank down beneath the water. She pictured poor Martha and the other victims she had known. Just thinking about them put a heavy weight on her heart. Rising, Joey sat up and rubbed her wet face. She had reached a decision.

* * *

><p>Charlie was still smarting over her argument with Angelo when Joey surfaced from the bath, bundled up in towels. Her wet hair hung loose around her pretty face but she looked more anxious than refreshed.<p>

"I hope Angelo found somewhere to pee in the end," she remarked.

Charlie cringed, apologising for the argument she must have overheard.

"It was better than a soap opera," Joey remarked. "Not that I really watch them. I don't have a TV."

"Yeah, I didn't see one in your carrier bag," Charlie said with a grin.

Joey laughed and asked if she could get changed somewhere. She'd tried in the bathroom but the steam from the hot water had made her body too clammy.

"Sure," Charlie said, leading the way into the bedroom she shared with Angelo.

"Oh, um, Charlie?" Joey said, before she shut the door.

"Yes?"

"I'll help you with your case. Whatever you need."

Without giving the police officer a chance to respond, she shut the door for privacy.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie puts a plan together to solve the case and invites Joey to spend the night…<em>


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

An hour later, Charlie was back in uniform and sitting with Watson across the desk from Joey in an interview room. The poor girl looked like she might combust with anxiety at any moment. She twisted her fingers together on the table top, unable to tear her gaze away from Charlie's blue eyes.

"So, are you happy with all of that?" Charlie asked seriously.

Joey shrugged.

"It's not exactly a trip to Disneyworld but I can deal," Joey said. "If it means stopping this guy. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Especially if you're right and it's my fault."

"I didn't say that," Charlie said quickly, putting a compassionate hand on Joey's.

Watson silently observed their interaction. She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her colleague's relationship with their witness than met the eye. But she decided quickly that it wasn't her place to comment. She also couldn't blame Charlie if she was attracted to Joey – the girl was the hottest person Watson had ever seen in her life. If she was the kind of person to pay for sex then Joey would probably be earning a small fortune from her.

"It's what you meant though," Joey said sadly.

"No," Charlie said, retaining contact. "I think the person committing these murders may well want something from you. But it's his responsibility for what's happened. It's _his _fault. You're not to blame for anything, Joey. And I think you're really brave to come forward and offer to help us with the case."

"Well, I get free room and board," Joey remarked, eager to play things down. "And I am kind of homeless now."

She glanced between the two officers.

"Thanks for that, by the way, girls."

Charlie tried not to laugh. She withdrew her hand and kept her expression serious.

"We'll put you up in a safe house until the investigation is complete," she said. "It'll be ready for you first thing in the morning. An officer will come and collect you from wherever you're staying tonight and we'll explain the next step of the plan."

"Do you actually know what the plan is?" Joey asked.

"Well, we're hoping you'll be able to help us lure the killer out," Charlie said.

"So, I'm bait?"

Charlie half smiled.

"I wouldn't put it quite like that," she said.

"You have a habit of putting every awkward phrase together very carefully, Sergeant Buckton," Joey remarked.

"What can I say?" Charlie chuckled. "I have a way with words."

She smiled again. Joey studied her mouth, remembering their kiss for several long moments. The likelihood of anything like that happening again was minimal, she was sure, but she was most definitely thrilled to have had such an experience. She couldn't understand why that awful man, Angelo, walked around in a strop all day when he got to go home with Charlie each night. Joey thought he really should consider himself lucky.

"So, do you _have_ somewhere to stay tonight?" Charlie ventured.

"You know I haven't," Joey replied.

"I thought maybe you'd be able to find a hostel or something," Charlie said. "An officer can take you there."

"Because dragging all my luggage across town would be such a hassle?" Joey smirked.

Charlie managed another smile. Joey definitely had a very strange effect on her. It wasn't something she could completely explain and she seemed to be spending a lot of time trying to forget all about the dream she'd had the other night.

"Okay, interview terminated at 18:01," she said, clicking off the tape recorder.

She turned back to face Joey.

"Let us take you somewhere," she requested.

"Look, couldn't you just arrest me or something?" Joey asked.

Charlie and Watson both stared at her in shock.

"Then I could just stay in a cell," Joey explained. "I don't really want to go and stay in some communal room with fuck knows who."

"Um..." Charlie faltered.

"Please?" Joey begged. "I'm here anyway. I'm sure you've got a spare cell. It makes sense."

"You actually want to spend the night in a police cell?" Watson asked incredulously.

"I've slept in worse places," Joey replied.

Charlie hesitated and then stood up. Gesturing for Watson to follow her, she told Joey to hang around and wait for them.

* * *

><p>Once Charlie and Watson had left the interview room, Joey sat back in her chair and sighed. She twiddled her fingers and looked absently around the blank room. She couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up in this position. Granted, her life wasn't the kind of thing a person dreamt about but at least she'd felt moderately in control. Now everything was spiralling away from her a breakneck speed. She was lost and confused and didn't know quite where to turn. And she was unnerved that Charlie was her beacon of light in the darkness.<p>

* * *

><p>"No way," Detective Robert Robertson barked down the phone.<p>

Charlie had phoned her superior in the city to see if it would be acceptable to have Joey sleep on her sofa for the night while they set up the safe house.

"Please, Sir," she begged. "We need to keep her onside. She's doing a massive favour for us and I fully believe that she could be the key to solving these homicides. She has nobody to trust and nowhere to turn. But I feel like I'm starting to get through to her, to build a relationship. I think she'd feel safe at my place."

She heard the Detective sigh on the other end of the line.

"This is completely unorthodox," he said.

"I know," Charlie replied.

"But okay," he agreed. "She can stay with you for one night and then we'll get her into the safe house. I'll be down to the station first thing in the morning so I can be more hands on with this investigation. Be ready for me."

"I will," Charlie promised. "Thank you."

Hanging up the phone, Charlie walked into the reception area where Angelo was just walking through the front door in order to start his shift. He paused and glared at her, still angry about their altercation earlier in the day.

"Could I have a word, please?" Charlie asked.

He nodded and reluctantly followed her into her office where she shut the door behind them.

"Joey doesn't have anywhere to stay tonight," she began.

"So?"

"So, I was wondering if it would be okay to have her stay with us."

Angelo looked appalled. He stood up quickly and approached the door.

"I'm surprised you even bothered to ask me," he said bitterly. "Do whatever the hell you like, Charlie. We both know you will anyway."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Charlie returned to the interview room where Joey was sitting with Watson and having a cup of hot chocolate.<p>

"I've sorted out some accommodation for you tonight," the Sergeant explained, sitting across the table from Joey.

"Not a hostel?" Joey asked worriedly.

"Not a hostel," Charlie confirmed. "How would you feel about crashing on my couch for the night?"

Joey looked stunned. She stared at Charlie for several moments before she managed to find her voice.

"Why... why would you do that?" she asked. "I mean, what do you want in return...?"

"Nothing," Charlie said. "But you're helping us with our investigation and I think we need to help you too. You don't want to be in a hostel, I don't want to arrest you, and I've been granted permission from my superiors to have you stay."

"What about your dickhead boyfriend?" Joey asked.

Watson snorted. Charlie tried not to smile.

"He said it's okay," she said. "Albeit, not quite as nicely as I wanted him to."

"And your daughter?" Joey asked worriedly. "Why would you want a hooker to be around your daughter?"

"Joey, you're not a bad person," Charlie said sincerely.

"I'm a criminal," Joey reminded her.

"Yeah, well, I think these things are on a scale," Charlie told her. "Just because you break the law on a regular basis, it doesn't mean anyone has to demonise you."

A small smile twitched at the corner of Joey's mouth.

"Your boyfriend doesn't think like that," she pointed out. "I believe he called me a disease ridden whore."

Charlie sighed and apologised. Joey merely shrugged. She liked Charlie but she knew she had to approach with caution.

"That's not what _I _think," Charlie told her gently. "So, what do you say?"

"Are you sure your daughter won't mind?" Joey asked. "I don't want to upset her."

"I already called and she's eager to cook dinner for all of us when we get home," Charlie said. "And as an extra bonus, I get to work from home tonight."

She grinned.

"Cop turned babysitter?" Joey smirked.

"Something like that!"

Joey sighed and chewed her lip for a moment. She met Charlie's gaze and smiled.

"I'm in," she said. "Thank you."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey spends the night on Charlie, Angelo and Ruby's sofa…<em>


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

It was late when everyone in the Buckton/Rosetta household decided to go to bed. Charlie and Angelo had been allowed home in order to keep an eye on Joey as she prepared to go into the safe house to help the police track down the murderer that was terrorising the streets of Yabbie Creek and the surrounding areas.

Ruby had been particularly pleasant over dinner and Charlie couldn't help but marvel at just how easily her daughter seemed to find it to get along with someone from such a different walk of life to her. She was proud of her. She was less proud of Angelo, though. He hadn't said a word all evening and Charlie had caught him on more than one occasion giving their poor guest evils.

Joey, for her part, had been very friendly to everyone. She hadn't even flirted with Charlie, which made a change but she was relieved to see her so respectful. The last thing Charlie needed right now was for Angelo to accuse her of being attracted to Joey. And she wasn't sure if she could honestly deny it. The whole thing horrified her and she couldn't even begin to get her head around the dream she'd had about the girl. For starters, she'd never thought she _could _be attracted to another woman. And now, she was faced with the knowledge that she was more attracted to Joey than she had ever been to any man she had ever met – including Angelo. The whole thing was very confusing. Not only was Joey a girl but she was also a prostitute.

But then, she was altering Charlie's perception of all kinds of things at the moment. She'd been in the police force for quite a few years now and she'd thought she'd seen everything already. She thought she had the right to judge every criminal but now, it felt like everything had changed. Joey was far more than a hooker. She was sweet, funny, kind and gentle. She was a person, not a statistic and Charlie was thoroughly enjoying getting to know her, even if Angelo wasn't.

"Have you got everything you need?" Charlie asked, hovering in the doorway to the living room where Joey was set up for bed on the couch.

"Yes, thanks," Joey said politely.

She looked strikingly vulnerable tucked up beneath the blankets with nothing but her head poking out.

"Okay, well just help yourself to food or drink or whatever," Charlie said. "And you can watch the TV and everything. I know you're not quite used to having this bed time."

She grinned. Joey smiled back.

"I'm kind of like a vampire," Joey agreed with a smirk. "Sleep in the day and commit untold acts during the night."

Charlie's smile faltered. She couldn't help but wonder how Joey could be so blasé about her life choices.

"Okay, well, goodnight," Charlie said gently, turning to leave.

"Charlie?" Joey called.

Charlie turned back, offering her full attention.

"Thank you for this," Joey said. "Really."

"No problem," Charlie said softly.

She smiled and then closed the door, heading towards the bedroom she shared with Angelo. Joey flopped back down on the couch. She could hardly believe how drastically her life had changed over the last few days. She still felt bereft over Martha and she couldn't help but worry about poor Bear Cat. She wondered if Brax had moved someone into her room already. And she wondered if she was really ever going to be able to help bring about justice for the girls who had been brutally murdered, girls that she had known and even loved.

* * *

><p>"You could have been a little more polite today," Charlie scolded when she was safely in her room with Angelo, who was already in bed and moodily reading a book.<p>

"You won't want to be polite when we wake up and find we've been robbed," he replied blandly, not looking up from the words on the page.

Charlie sighed as she began to get changed into her pyjamas.

"You could give her a chance, you know," she said, slipping into bed beside him.

"Why?" Angelo said. "I'm perfectly within my rights not to want to be nice to a whore."

"How can you judge her like that?" Charlie demanded.

"How can you not?" Angelo snapped back, dropping his book into his lap.

Charlie was startled to see how angry he looked.

"She's a fragile young woman who needs our help, Angelo," she said reasonably.

"She's a slut who should stay on the streets like she deserves," Angelo argued.

"She's willing to put herself at risk in order to help us catch a killer!" Charlie pointed out.

"Let's give her the Nobel Prize," Angelo said sarcastically, picking his book back up.

"And who knows?" Charlie continued regardless. "Maybe this whole thing could help her change her life. We could end up doing something wonderful for her. She could stop working the streets, she could start again. She could..."

"She doesn't deserve better than what she's got," Angelo said firmly.

He ignored her for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey has a special request as she moves into the safe house…<em>


	23. Chapter 23

_Sorry the updates are a little late today. I hope you enjoy them. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Three**

"Wow, this place is awesome!" Joey said admiringly.

Having eaten the best breakfast she'd ever had with the very nice Charlie and Ruby and the even less polite than usual Angelo, Joey had been taken to her new home.

"I really get to stay here?" she asked, whirling back round to face Charlie who tried not to look amused.

The apartment was a basic two bedroom. Well, really it was a one and a half bedroom with a small lounge and then five steps down to the kitchen and the bathroom.

"You really get to stay here," Charlie confirmed.

Joey flushed, embarrassed by her reaction.

"I've lived in an attic for my whole life," she said, by way of explanation.

"You don't need to explain yourself, Joey," Charlie assured her.

Joey nodded anxiously and sat on the end of the sofa, still clutching her carrier bag.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked. "I'm guessing I don't get to hang out here and watch TV all day, rent free?"

Charlie moved to sit beside her and gesture for Watson to pull up a chair.

"You'll have an officer with you at all times," Charlie explained. "You'll probably have Watson overnight and into the morning, then Angelo in the evening..."

"Angelo?" Joey protested, pulling a face. "Isn't there someone else? He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Charlie said, although she couldn't be completely sure. "And yes, I wish there was someone else because he hasn't been all that nice to you but we're short staffed right now and need all hands on deck."

"Don't I get to see you at all?" Joey asked.

Despite her best intentions, she had grown rather fond of the Sergeant over the last few days.

"I'll be here during the day I'll be leading you in plans to catch the killer out," Charlie told her. "Angelo will be here for the awake part of your night and then when we're done, Watson will take over. Is that okay?"

Joey nodded, although she would really have preferred to spend more time with Charlie than the other two. But she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Although, today, you get both Watson and I for most of it," Charlie added.

Joey smiled.

"There are some ground rules though," Charlie said.

Joey's face immediately fell.

"You can't participate in any illegal activities while you're in our care," Charlie told her. "No drugs..."

"I don't do drugs," Joey snapped.

"No 'work'."

"I'd be relieved," Joey informed her.

Charlie smiled. Secretly, she hoped that this week might be a way of turning Joey's life around. She might even realise that there was more to life than selling her body for money. Charlie hoped so, anyway. Joey was a wonderful person. Charlie fully believed that she was capable of so much more.

"Okay, cool," Charlie said brightly. "I think that's everything."

The two women smiled at each other for a moment.

"So um… is there anything you'd particularly like to do now?" Charlie asked. "You've got both of us until the end of the day."

"Actually, there is something," Joey said. "But I'm not entirely sure if it's legal or not."

Charlie exchanged glances with Watson.

"Shoot," Charlie instructed her new charge.

"Okay, I've been looking after this cat for a good few years now," Joey explained.

"A cat?" Charlie said.

"Yeah, you know, 'purr, purr, purr', 'meow'," Joey said.

Charlie laughed.

"I know what a cat is," she assured her.

"Good," Joey grinned. "Anyway, he's a little stray and he's so cute and I've been feeding him and looking after him for years. He's going to have come to my room several times in the last few days and found that I'm not there. He's going to think I've abandoned him. He's going to be hungry and upset, or worse if the new tenant tells Brax about him."

She looked suddenly rather unwell.

"I dread to think what will happen to him in that case," she said. "And so I was wondering if you would help me rescue him and bring him back here."

Charlie looked uncertain.

"You want us to rescue a cat?" she asked.

"Yes please!" Joey said so eagerly that Charlie and Watson both laughed.

"Okay," Charlie said hesitantly. "I guess the first thing we'll have to do is go to the pet shop. I'm guessing you don't have a litter tray or anything in that bag of yours."

"He goes outside to poop normally," Joey said.

"If you relocate a cat, you have to keep them in for at least two weeks," Charlie explained. "Otherwise they try to go back home and then they get lost and it all gets complicated."

Joey nodded thoughtfully, happy to take the information on board.

"But I don't think Witness Protection funding stretches to cats so if we're going to buy him some stuff, do you have cash?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded, dug around in her bag and produced a thick wad of money.

"Fucking hell!" Watson gasped. "Where on earth did you get that? Or don't we want to know?"

"I did a hen party," Joey said mildly.

"You did _what _at a hen party?" Watson wondered.

Charlie rolled her eyes. Joey just looked confused.

"I did the hens," she said.

Watson turned pink from all sorts of forms of embarrassment.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't think."

Joey shrugged and stood up, eager to get going. Charlie and Watson followed her out of the flat.

"What's this cat's name?" Charlie asked.

"Bear Cat," Joey replied as if it was the most normal name in the world.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie, Watson and Joey rescue Bear Cat…!<em>


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

"Joey, I'm really not sure this is the best – or the safest – use of our time," Charlie objected.

She and Watson were in the alley behind the brothel that Joey used to call home. Joey was balancing precariously on the wall calling Bear Cat's name.

"Charlie's right," Watson said anxiously. "Get down."

"He'll be here," Joey insisted. "He always visits around this time."

Charlie and Watson exchanged worried glances.

"Bear Cat!" Joey called, craning her neck to see the window of her old room. "Bear Cat! Come here, boy! I've come to rescue you!"

She frowned and then nearly forgot where she was for a moment, almost falling off the wall. Charlie screeched in fright and moved to try and catch her. Joey just about maintained her grip on the wall and then smirked at Charlie.

"You don't care about me, do you?" she remarked.

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"You're the key to solving a murder case," she said. "That is all."

It wasn't true but Joey didn't need to know that.

"Bear Cat?" Joey called, standing up again.

Charlie's heart was in her mouth for fear of her falling. Watson watched their interaction with interest. She tried to convince herself that she was barking up the wrong tree but she was sure she could see a flicker of attraction between the two women. It didn't make sense. Charlie had certainly not registered on her gaydar since they'd met. Well, perhaps she had briefly hoped when she'd first met her. Charlie was gorgeous, after all. But she'd dated Roman before she'd so much as unpacked and then she'd moved rather swiftly onto Angelo. It didn't make sense that she'd fall for a woman. Did it?

"Hey, boy!" Joey greeted warmly when the little tabby appeared and trotted towards her.

Charlie was rather touched at the affection between them as they were reunited.

"Now, you have to be really good and sit in the car with me," Joey explained as if she was talking to someone who could understand her. "I told Sergeant Buckton that you wouldn't react kindly to being shut in a box so you have to really behave and prove that I'm right to have you on my lap."

Bear Cat merely purred and snuggled up against her.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

She leapt off the wall and, to Charlie and Watson's shock, the cat jumped after her and happily followed her to the car.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Charlie, Joey, Watson and Bear Cat were settled into the apartment and planning the night ahead.<p>

"So, I just go out as normal and hope he shows?" Joey clarified.

"Pretty much," Charlie replied. "But we'll be watching you the whole time and we'll get to him before he can do anything to you – or to anyone else."

Joey looked nervous. She chewed her lip and fondled Bear Cat's ears.

"I won't have to… you know?"

"No," Charlie said. "Even if he wanted it, you wouldn't have to. But it doesn't seem like he's using prostitutes in the um… traditional sense so he's unlikely to ask."

Joey nodded.

"He just goes in for the kill, hey?" she said uncertainly.

Charlie sighed and nodded.

"I'm really sorry to have to put you through all of this," she said sincerely.

Joey shrugged.

"If it saves the others girls and helps get justice for Martha, I don't really care what I have to do," she said honestly. "To be honest, even if he does kill me, I'm not sure I'll care. I haven't actually got all that much to live for right now."

Charlie looked and felt concerned. She tried to say something nice but Joey interrupted her with a request for a shower.

"Sure…" Charlie said quietly, amazed at the way Joey could shrug off her pain.

She looked at Watson when she heard Joey shut the bathroom door.

"She is one complicated cookie," Charlie remarked.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Xavier moves to Summer Bay with his family, the first night hunting the killer doesn't go well and the police officers take turns to babysit Joey (and Bear Cat)…<em>


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

It was night time and Charlie had just about coached Joey through what the night might bring. She was wearing a wire and there were plain clothed police officers dotted all around town in order to keep her safe. Charlie just hoped that they could get the case wrapped up and the killer caught as soon as possible. Then perhaps they could get Joey rehabilitated, for want of a better word. Charlie couldn't help but worry about her falling back into her old life and what the River Boys might do to the River Girl now that she had fallen foul of their leader.

"Ready to go?" Charlie asked as they prepared to leave the flat.

"As I'll ever be," Joey sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"We'll be watching you the whole time," Charlie promised. "If you get into any kind of trouble, we'll be right there. Okay?"

Joey nodded and managed a smile. Then they, along with Watson, trooped out of the apartment.

* * *

><p>Six hours later, Charlie, Joey, Watson and Angelo all arrived back at the apartment feeling disheartened. The killer hadn't shown, which was good in terms of nobody getting killed but bad in terms of their lack of opportunity to catch him.<p>

"Well, that was pointless," Joey complained, flopping down on the couch.

Bear cat immediately leapt onto her lap, wanting affection. Angelo paused in the middle of the room.

"Since when does she have a cat?" he demanded tiredly.

"I've had him for years," Joey replied.

Charlie moved to perch on the couch beside her.

"Are you still happy to stick with it?" she asked.

The last thing she needed was for Joey to drop out.

"I'm committed," Joey promised, yawning.

Her sleep pattern was currently terribly out of alignment.

"Can I go to sleep now?" she asked. "I'm kind of beat."

"Sure," Charlie said, standing up again. "Watson will stay with you tonight and I'll be here in the morning, okay?"

Joey nodded and excused herself. Bear Cat followed her into her bedroom where she quickly shut the door and flopped onto the bed. It was strange to have an actual bed, after a lifetime of mattresses, unless she happened to have hooked up with particular people in the night that had taken her back to their homes or booked into a hotel. Bear Cat hopped onto her chest, purring and requiring fuss. She stroked him as she gazed up at the ceiling, wondering, yet again, how her life had taken this turn.

* * *

><p>"You set for the night?" Charlie asked Watson.<p>

"Yep," the police officer assured her.

She couldn't help but think she had the better end of the deal really. All she had to do was sleep and keep an ear out for anything going wrong. Charlie and Angelo would have to entertain Joey during their shifts. Watson didn't even have to make conversation.

"Okay, we're heading out," Charlie said. "I'll take over from you in the morning."

"See you then," Watson said. "Let's hope that tomorrow is more productive."

"I don't know," Charlie grinned. "The Great Cat Rescue was quite amusing."

"What is with the cat?" Angelo wondered, following Charlie down the stairs and out onto the street.

* * *

><p>In the morning, having barely slept, Charlie was up and having breakfast with Ruby before school. She felt like she was running on empty at the moment and she felt bad about the lack of time she was spending with her daughter but she supposed that these were exceptional circumstances. And at least she had arranged the shift pattern so they could see each other before school and work in the morning and then before her next shift, starting late at night. She got to be there for her before and after school and she hoped that that's what mattered.<p>

"What's your day looking like today?" Charlie asked. "Anything exciting?"

"There's supposed to be a new kid and a new Principal starting today," Ruby said. "They're mother and son."

"Oh, really?" Charlie said. "Do you know anything about them?"

"Nope," Ruby said. "Just that the boy is my age and they moved to Summer Bay with his two older brothers. I think one is a few years older than him and the eldest is your age."

"Ancient then," Charlie giggled.

Ruby grinned.

"You said it, not me!" she teased.

* * *

><p>Having dropped Ruby off at school and said goodbye to Angelo, Charlie headed on over to the apartment to relieve Watson of her duties, although she thought her junior colleague probably had the best shift of the deal.<p>

"Morning, ladies," she greeted, letting herself into the first floor flat.

"Hey," Joey said from the sofa where she was cuddling Bear Cat and looking rather engrossed in television. "How are you?"

Charlie was a little taken aback by how polite she was being. Joey was nothing short of unpredictable. One minute she was guarded, then she was friendly and then of course there was the flirting. Images of their illicit kiss fluttered through Charlie's mind for a fleeting moment. She shook it away. Having inappropriate thoughts about someone in her care was not going to help anybody.

"Well, I'll be heading off if that's okay," Watson said, appearing from her room.

"Sure," Charlie said. "Nothing to report?"

"She's been as good as gold," Watson assured her.

Joey looked up from the TV and grinned.

"I'm always an angel," she said. "Isn't that obvious by now?"

Charlie laughed and waved Watson out. Joey turned off the television and offered Charlie her full attention as she came to sit beside her.

"So, Sergeant Buckton," she said. "What would you like to do today?"

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie learns more about Joey's life…<em>


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

"So, what do you occupy yourself with when you're not… working?" Charlie asked.

The two women were sat on the sofa together, watching daytime television. While Charlie could understand exactly why none of it was prime time, Joey seemed fascinated.

"I surf," Joey said. "I swim. I read a lot."

Charlie failed to hide her surprise.

"You don't have to look so stunned," Joey said a little bitterly. "I might have dropped out of school but I'm not illiterate."

"Sorry," Charlie said quickly. "I didn't think you were. Just…"

She trailed off, running out of excuses for being so rude. Joey merely shrugged and turned back to the TV.

"Every Monday, I go to the library and borrow as many books as I can," she said absently. "Then I read them during the day before I have to work at night."

Charlie nodded, wondering just how many layers this girl had.

"What kind of books do you like?" she asked.

"I like all sorts of things," Joey told her, still not looking in her direction. "I'm not keen on romances but I like some of the classics that don't focus on that primarily. _Great Expectations _is cool. I know there's a love story in it but I prefer the gothic themes and the journey through life. Miss Haversham was my favourite character."

Charlie couldn't help but smile.

"And I like Virginia Woolf a lot," Joey continued. "Her writing is pretty powerful and poetic and again, the focus isn't on sex and love and stuff. She had a lot of personal problems in her real life and wasn't all that comfortable with intimacy so I guess I connect with her on that level."

Charlie shifted in her chair.

"You're uncomfortable with intimacy?" she asked.

Joey turned to look at her at last.

"Why are you so surprised?" she asked, searching her eyes.

Feeling a little flustered, Charlie attempted to find the words to explain and not offend.

"Well, it's just that you're… well, you're…"

She failed her attempt and sighed heavily.

"Sex isn't the same as intimacy," Joey said firmly. "And just because I do it, doesn't mean I like it."

"If you don't like it, why do you do it?" Charlie wondered.

"Why are you a cop?" Joey asked.

The question took the Sergeant by surprise.

"Um… well, I guess I wanted to protect people and serve the community and… and, well both my parents were cops so…"

"There it is," Joey said triumphantly.

Charlie just looked bewildered.

"You were born into your way of life and I was born into mine."

Charlie's confusion grew.

"How can you be born into…?"

"My Mum was a hooker," Joey told her flatly. "I was born in the attic room that I've lived in my whole life. Before I could even read or write, I had an uncomfortable understanding of the kind of life my mother lived. And I reluctantly followed her example."

She turned back to the television, holding the remote a little too tightly. Charlie studied her profile. Joey was possibly the most complex person she had ever come across.

"Have you never wanted to walk away from it?" she asked tentatively.

"Lots of times," Joey told her, focussing on the TV.

"Why didn't you?" Charlie persisted. "I mean, was it your Mum or…?"

"My Mum's not around anymore," Joey said quickly. "She's got nothing to do with anything."

Charlie nodded and fell silent for a few moments.

"How do you maintain relationships if…"

Joey flicked the television off and whipped her head round to glare at her.

"You never mentioned that being interrogated about every aspect of my life was part of the deal, Charlie," she snapped.

"Sorry," the police officer said quietly. "I didn't mean to intrude. I was just interested."

She looked down and studied her hands. Joey watched her for a moment, feeling guilty.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to be rude to you. You've done a hell of a lot for me and you deserve better. I guess I'm just not all that used to people wanting to know things about me. I don't really understand why you're so interested."

An image of their kiss flashed through Charlie's mind but she pushed it away.

"I just find you kind of fascinating," she admitted. "But it's fine. You can go back to the TV."

Joey nodded but didn't touch the remote.

"Can I ask one more question?" Charlie dared.

"Sure," Joey said, offering her full attention. "But you only get one so make it count."

She grinned. Charlie laughed softly and took a breath.

"Maybe I've watched _Pretty Woman _too many times but… don't women in um… in your profession refuse to kiss normally?"

Joey nodded.

"It's that intimacy thing again," she said. "You can disassociate from all sort of things that you put your body through but kissing is kind of different."

"Then why um… why did you kiss me that night?"

Joey froze but didn't let her reaction show on her face.

"Just fancied a change of pace," she said casually.

Charlie looked both amused and intrigued.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Do you fancy a change of pace very often or…?"

"Never," Joey said. "You were the first and last kiss I've ever had."

Charlie gasped and then choked.

"Excuse me?"

Joey coloured and turned back to the television, embarrassed but not wanting to admit it. Charlie stole the remote from her and demanded attention.

"That was your first kiss?" she asked. "Your _first_?"

"Yeah," Joey said with a shrug. "What of it?"

Charlie allowed herself a somewhat pleased smile.

"It's just an interesting piece of information," she said. "That's all."

"Okay," Joey replied, taking the remote back.

"So um… how was it?" Charlie asked before she could stop herself.

Joey chuckled and turned back to her. She looked Charlie up and down and licked her lips. Then she shrugged again.

"It was okay," she lied. "Nothing special."

Charlie looked outraged. She had replayed their kiss several times since it happened. It had been the best kiss she'd ever had.

"Hey!" she protested. "I'll have you know I'm a good kisser!"

"You're okay," Joey said. "I mean, I have nothing to compare it to but… yeah… fine."

Without thinking, Charlie leant forward and captured Joey's lips firmly with hers. She ran her hands through Joey's hair, pulling her ever closer and teasingly parting her lips. Joey's head swam as she touched Charlie's tongue with her own. Every moment was breathtaking. Both of them were flushed when they parted.

"Wow," Joey breathed. "You are so easy."

Charlie jerked back in panic.

"The first kiss was amazing," Joey said easily. "So amazing that I was thrilled to get an opportunity to do it again."

Charlie's mouth hung open in shock at the realisation that she had been completely and utterly played. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed. Joey smirked at her.

"Better keep your mouth shut," she suggested. "Having it open like that will really only get you into trouble."

Charlie shut her mouth and laughed. Together, they returned to the television.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey continues to flirt with Charlie and reveals some more of her story…<em>


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

"Joey…" Charlie ventured shyly.

Crammed in the tiny kitchen that Joey still felt was a palace, the younger woman turned, her body pressed against Charlie's. The police officer raised an eyebrow but didn't move back.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" she asked.

"Maybe," Joey smirked. "Why? Is it affecting you?"

"Not in the slightest," Charlie lied.

Her body was tingling all over, no matter how many times she reminded herself that it was inappropriate. Firstly, Joey was a prostitute. Secondly, she was in Charlie's care. Thirdly, Charlie was adamantly heterosexual. And fourthly, she had a boyfriend that she loved and lived with. There couldn't be more profound reasons for curbing any crush she might be developing.

"Okay," Joey said, turning back to where she had been attempting to cook pasta.

Cooking wasn't something she did on a regular basis, what with not having a kitchen. Charlie had offered to take charge but Joey was determined to be independent, although she had admitted she needed Charlie's guidance.

"Why do you do that?" Charlie wondered, studying her back.

"Do what?" Joey asked, stirring her pots cautiously.

"Try to provoke a reaction in me?"

"It's fun," Joey replied.

Charlie chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Is this how you entice people to part with their cash?" she asked.

"Among other techniques," Joey told her. "Although generally, I don't have to ask. People know what they want when they approach a girl like me."

Charlie leant against the wall and nodded thoughtfully.

"What did you want, by the way?" Joey asked.

Charlie jerked in alarm and cursed herself for starting to sweat.

"Sorry?"

Joey looked behind her, amused.

"You were about to ask me something before I pressed up against you and got you all hot and bothered," she reminded her.

Charlie flushed and objected. Joey just laughed and resumed watching her pots. So far, the pasta seemed to be coming along well.

"I wasn't hot and bothered," Charlie lied, struggling not to keep picturing the kiss.

"Sure you weren't," Joey remarked, not turning around. "Anyway, you were saying…"

"I was going to ask you to keep that kiss to yourself," Charlie ventured uncertainly.

"Which one?"

"Both of them!"

Satisfied with her dinner efforts, Joey turned the stove off and turned back to face Charlie.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not one for sharing secrets."

"I noticed," Charlie remarked.

"What's that meant to mean?" Joey asked, plating up their food.

"You're not exactly open with your feelings," Charlie said.

Joey handed her a plate, a spoon and a fork and then led the way back into the lounge where they sat at the table together on the far side of the room.

"Who says I _have _feelings?"

"Everyone has feelings," Charlie said.

Joey sat back and studied Charlie's face.

"What do you want from me, Charlie?" she asked. "Aside from kisses?"

Charlie flushed and focussed on her food.

"I'd just like to know you better," she said.

"Clearly," Joey teased.

Charlie laughed and mock glared at her.

"Would you quit the innuendo?" she requested.

"Nope," Joey replied, picking up her fork.

Charlie shook her head before making a point of complimenting the food.

"I'll have to add cooking to my CV," the younger woman replied.

"You should," Charlie giggled.

Joey immediately caught her looking suddenly thoughtful.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to get out of your current situation," Charlie ventured.

"Nah," Joey smirked. "Your company isn't that bad."

Charlie snorted and shook her head, wondering if she would ever successfully have a serious conversation with this girl. Joey was always so ready with quips and comments. She was wonderful at deflecting attention.

"You know what I mean," she said seriously.

Joey hesitated and sighed, looking earnest for a moment.

"Sometimes I wish I could," she admitted.

"Why don't you?"

"Because I don't know how to do anything different," Joey explained. "I've been working the streets since I was thirteen…"

Charlie choked on her food. When she didn't look like she was going to recover any time soon, Joey dashed off to get her a glass of water.

"Thank you," Charlie managed, embarrassed at her eyes watering.

"I didn't mean to kill you," Joey remarked.

"Sorry," Charlie said. "But seriously? Thirteen?"

She looked and sounded absolutely aghast. Joey wasn't entirely sure how to take her reaction. Pausing for a moment she sat back in her seat and looked Charlie in the eye.

"You want to know a secret?" she asked.

Charlie nodded a little uncertainly.

"Okay, well the reason I was so pissed off about your bastard boyfriend accusing me of being a druggie was because my Mum was an addict," Joey explained. "She was hooked on heroin for my whole life. I was really sick as a baby because she was using all through her pregnancy. I was born hooked on the stuff and I nearly died."

Charlie looked horrified.

"Anyway," Joey said dismissively, as if it didn't matter. "She missed rent a couple of times when I was a kid. The first month, Brax Senior beat the shit out of her, much like Brax Junior did to me last week. I couldn't bear it when the following month came round and she still didn't have enough cash. So I quit school and sold myself in order to pay the rent. And I guess it just became habit then."

"How did your Mum react?" Charlie wondered.

"She was livid," Joey admitted. "She wanted a better life for me than she had but really, what else was I ever going to be?"

"Joey, you could be anything you want to be," Charlie said earnestly.

"Nah," Joey said, shaking her head. "I know you've got this idealistic thing going on but you're better off saving your breath. It's too late for me."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Angelo takes advantage of Joey while Charlie spends time with Ruby…<em>


	28. Chapter 28

_I figured I may as well update this story as well, while I was doing all the others. I don't think 'enjoy' will be the right word for this chapter but I hope you like it anyway! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Joey's heart sank when the time came for Charlie to swap shifts with Angelo. She might have given the girl a bit of a hard time in places but actually, she had thoroughly enjoyed her company. She had enjoyed her kiss even more, although she did feel a bit bad for tricking her into it. Still, Charlie wouldn't have done it if she hadn't wanted to, would she?

"I'll see you both back here at nine thirty," Charlie said. "Be good."

Waving, she ducked out of the apartment and headed out to her car. She'd taken the day shift with Joey so that she could be home to spend some time with Ruby before she had to get back to work at night. The hours were proving to be very long on this case but it was a challenge she was determined to complete. If she had her way, the monster that was stalking the streets and killing young women would be sent down immediately and he would never see the light of day again.

* * *

><p>Inside the apartment, Joey felt distinctly uncomfortable. Angelo had made it abundantly clear that he didn't like her and she doubted either of them relished the thought of having to spend so much time together.<p>

"Do you want a cup of tea or something?" she asked, attempting to be polite.

He stared at her for a moment and she shivered a little at the way he looked her up and down. She'd seen that same look on men too many times before. Come to think of it, she had seen that look on _him _before. She was comforted by the rule Charlie had insisted on – that she didn't work while she was in police care. Even if he asked, she would have to deny him.

"Sure," he said.

She nodded and headed down the six steps to the kitchen. Her heart sank when he followed her.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was cool," Joey replied, busying herself with cups and tea bags and filling the kettle.

She hoped his attempts at conversation meant that he wouldn't be too unbearable this evening.

"Did um… did Charlie explain the rules to you?" he asked cautiously.

Joey turned back around, having run out of things to do while the kettle boiled. Charlie had already done all the washing up from lunch time in a bid to be helpful. Joey wished she hadn't now.

"Yeah," she said. "No working, no criminal activity. Pretty standard really."

The kettle clicked off so she turned back round to pour the water. She could feel Angelo's eyes on her. She shivered again.

"What about payment?" he said, his voice becoming increasingly creepy.

"Payment?" Joey asked, focussing on her task.

"You didn't think we'd look after you for free, did you?" Angelo asked.

Joey burnt her hand on the hot water when she felt him press up against her back. He moved his hands round t her breasts, groping clumsily and pressing her against the counter so she couldn't put water on her hand.

"I need the cold water tap," Joey said stiffly.

For a moment, he didn't move. She took a couple of paces in the tiny kitchen to run her hand under the tap. It stung like a bitch. But she much preferred it to the way Angelo had pressed up against her again.

* * *

><p>At home, Charlie and Ruby were at the kitchen table, running through both of their days.<p>

"So, have you got much school work?" Charlie asked.

"A bit," Ruby said, pulling a face. "Maths mostly. Have I mentioned that I hate Maths?"

"Maybe a couple of thousand times," Charlie chuckled. "But I'm sure you'll get through it."

Ruby sighed heavily.

"Maybe we should look into getting you a tutor," Charlie ventured.

"Mum, you do remember what happened last time I had a Maths tutor, don't you?"

Charlie pulled a face. Earlier this year, in misguided infatuation, Ruby had ended up in bed with a boy called Romeo Smith. Although Charlie wasn't all that keen on her daughter being sexually active, she accepted that that's the way things were. She'd lost her virginity to her first proper boyfriend, Geoff Campbell, who had left town the previous year to become a missionary abroad. Then she had developed a crush on her lowlife driving instructor but fortunately that hadn't gone anywhere. And then she'd gone after Romeo, who was a nice boy that Charlie was fond of. Unfortunately, he had been in a relationship at the time and their one night stand had hurt a lot of people. Romeo and his girlfriend, Indigo were back together and stronger than ever now, fortunately, and Ruby was happy with Casey, although he was still the boy Charlie hadn't actually managed to meet yet.

"We could hook you up with a girl," she suggested.

Ruby grinned.

"April would be pretty useful," she said. "But she's so busy tearing her hair out over her own studies that I doubt she'd be up for helping me."

"Well, I'm happy to hire and pay someone if you want me to," Charlie offered. "This is the most important school year. I don't want you struggling unnecessarily."

Ruby nodded and thanked her.

"Hey, did you get to the problem of the Dex issue?" Charlie asked.

Ruby giggled and began to explain that her friend had been cross dressing for the sake of his online blog and nothing more.

* * *

><p>"Angelo, I really don't think…" Joey tried.<p>

She'd turned the tap off and managed to turn around but he refused to back off and she could feel a certain part of his anatomy sticking into her.

"Come on…" he said, kissing her neck roughly.

She pushed him away quickly and escaped to the living room, forgetting all about her tea. Angelo was quick to follow her, frustrated and excited in equal measure. Having Joey was something he had been thinking about all day and he was determined to succeed. She might think she was a woman of the world but he was convinced that he'd come up with a fool proof plan to convince her to play ball.

"Joey," he said firmly.

"Charlie said I wasn't meant to work," she said adamantly, careful to try and keep a distance between them.

"It's not work," he told her. "It's rent."

"Rent?" she asked in sheer confusion.

"Like I said, we're not protecting you for nothing, Joey," he said. "You owe us."

"Okay," Joey said, exasperated. "You've got me. I admit to being totally fucking confused."

Angelo closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing her into the door of the lounge.

"As cops, we'll do what we do best and catch the bastard that's out there murdering girls like you," he said. "And as a hooker, you do what you do best. Us."

Joey stared at him uncertainly.

"But Charlie said…"

"She knows it's part of the deal," he lied, hoping that the girl wouldn't ruin everything and ask her outright.

Charlie would kill him if she knew what he was up to. Firstly, he would have been caught cheating, although really, he blamed _her_ for that. If she wasn't so busy all the time, what with work and with Ruby, then he wouldn't _need _to go looking elsewhere. But he figured she'd also probably have some moral objection to hooking up with a prostitute, especially one who was helping them with an investigation.

"But…" Joey tried.

"You want me to call her right now for confirmation?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't call his bluff.

"She just… she didn't say anything like that when we started this," Joey said, her voice sounding utterly deflated. "I thought…"

_I thought you people were different_, she finished silently. She'd been looking forward to not having to sleep with anyone for as long as the case lasted. She'd even been mildly hoping, with Charlie's encouragement, that she might find a way to walk away from her life. And that's what didn't make sense. Charlie seemed so hopeful that Joey would make a career change. Why would she want her to screw the entire police force for the sake of earning her keep? _Because that's what people do_, she concluded sadly. _You've dealt with enough of them to know that_. She sighed heavily and sank against the wall, trying to disassociate as Angelo hungrily kissed her neck and clawed at her clothes. Usually, she put up a good performance. It was what she was paid to do and it was how she got regular custom. However, Angelo was already so excited that he didn't seem to care particularly if she participated or not. He was just eager to get what he wanted. She closed her eyes as he fumbled with her clothes and heard him undo his fly. All her joy from the day was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie is confused by Joey's sudden change in mood…<em>


	29. Chapter 29

_I am glad you all hate Angelo as much as you should in this one! He's pretty vile, isn't he? Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the chapter. The next one (chapter 30) will be a bit more pleasant. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

"Is everything okay?" Charlie asked as she drove Joey and Angelo out to Yabbie Creek in order to try and lure the killer out.

She glanced at Joey in the rear view mirror. She seemed very quiet and out of sorts, very different to the girl she had left earlier in the day.

"I'm fine," Joey snapped, a little more harshly than she'd intended.

Charlie glanced at her in the mirror again before returning her eyes back to the road. Then she glanced at Angelo, beside her in the passenger seat.

"Has something happened?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not deaf!" Joey snapped. "I _can _hear you."

Charlie sighed. Joey was cranky and Angelo was far from forthcoming with information. Giving up, Charlie focussed on where they were going. They had a big night ahead of them.

* * *

><p>After another fruitless night, Watson took Joey back to her apartment in order to keep an eye on her overnight.<p>

"I'm going to bed," Joey said, still moody but refusing to reveal why.

"Okay," Watson said. "Joey, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fucking marvellous," Joey said, slamming her bedroom door.

She threw herself face down on the bed and surprised herself by bursting into tears, prompting Bear Cat to come and nuzzle her. She rarely cried and had always seen it as weakness but now, she couldn't control it. She knew it was stupid. She was a prostitute, for goodness sake. She made a career of sleeping with men she didn't want to go anywhere near. But today had been different. She'd felt forced and it hadn't seemed right at all. She felt like she was betraying Charlie, a woman she had grown to admire and respect. Angelo was her boyfriend, after all. How would she feel to know that he had slept with Joey behind her back? But then, Angelo had been adamant that Charlie knew what was going on. Hell, Charlie might even expect something like that herself. Angelo had claimed her body in exchange for rent, after all, although Joey couldn't help but think risking her life and acting as bait for a murderer was payment enough.

* * *

><p>"What was with Joey tonight?" Charlie wondered as she lay in bed with Angelo.<p>

They lay side by side, not touching and shrouded in darkness.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" he snapped.

"Alright!" Charlie snapped back. "There's no need to be so rude!"

They sighed heavily and in unison.

"I just thought you might know because you were the person with her when she must have got into that mood," Charlie added. "Pardon me for breathing."

Angelo rolled over to face her, seeking out her shape in the dark.

"Do you realise that the only thing we seem to do in this bed these days is talk about that hooker?" he asked.

Charlie sighed again and closed her eyes.

"It's just while this case is on," she said. "Come on, Angelo. We're both working so hard on an all-encompassing case. Of course that's what we're talking about. And of course we're too tired to do other stuff.

"It's not all I want to talk about," Angelo insisted. "And I'm certainly not too tired for anything else."

He reached out, beneath the blankets, capturing her hand and placing it inside his boxer shorts. Charlie cringed and recoiled quickly.

"I'm too tired," she said, not prepared to analyse exactly why touching him suddenly felt so disgusting. "Sorry."

"For fuck's sake, Charlie!" he growled. "Do you even want to be with me anymore?"

"Of course I do!" Charlie replied, not entirely sure she was telling the truth.

Had it really been only last week that she'd expected to spend the rest of her life with this man? And had she just been fooling herself all along, resigning herself to it rather than looking forward to the future? And most importantly, what had changed?

"Well, maybe you should start acting like it," he snapped.

He reached for her again. Closing her eyes and sighing, she gave in and gave him what he wanted.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie guides Joey out of her bad mood and spends some quality time with her…<em>


	30. Chapter 30

_This is for allycat81. I hope you all enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty**

"There's something I want to do today if you're willing," Charlie said when she took over the watch shift from Watson the following morning.

Joey looked startled and even a little panicked.

"What… what do you want?" she asked anxiously.

"I noticed that you finished your book yesterday," Charlie said, plopping down on the seat beside her. "And you said you go to the library once a week but I guess you haven't been lately?"

"Haven't really had the time what with getting caught up in a police investigation and stuff," Joey replied mildly.

"So…"

"So what?"

"So, would you like me to take you to the library today?" Charlie asked.

Joey tried not to look too excited. She approached with caution.

"What's in it for you?" she asked.

Charlie shrugged.

"I might get some books too," she said. "And I thought it might be nice to go out to lunch."

"Aren't I meant to be in hiding or something?" Joey asked.

"No," Charlie said. "Just in police care. But I'm in my civvies so you won't look conspicuous. We're not going to draw attention to ourselves, are we?"

Joey shrugged.

"I guess not," she said.

"Hey, Joey…" Charlie said, gently placing a hand on her charge's knee.

Joey jerked away abruptly and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Sorry," Charlie said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Don't flatter yourself," Joey snapped. "You're not important enough to upset me."

Charlie stood up, finally losing her temper.

"What the hell is your problem, Joey?" she demanded.

Joey looked up at her with big, brown eyes.

"I don't have a problem," she insisted, her voice harder than she looked.

"Then why are you giving me such a hard time?" Charlie demanded. "I'm just trying to be nice to you."

Joey stood up quickly.

"I just want to get this done, okay?" she snapped. "I don't care about you fuckers being nice to me. How about I just do my thing and you do yours and we have as little to do with each other as possible?"

Without waiting for an answer, Joey slammed into her bedroom. Charlie threw up her hands in exasperation and then sank back onto the sofa. Just when she thought she was starting to make progress with the girl, she had completely cut her off.

* * *

><p>Sitting on the edge of her bed, Joey fought to regulate her breathing. Her mind was in conflict – half of her blamed Charlie for permitting her to be treated like a sexual object and half of her didn't want to hold her responsible for Angelo's actions. It wasn't like Charlie had insisted on engaging in a sexual act. In fact, if she had, Joey might not have minded so much. She might even have almost enjoyed it. <em>Almost<em>.

"Stop being a bitch," she instructed herself.

Standing up, she opened the door to the bedroom and found Charlie looking miserable on the sofa with Bear Cat.

"I'm sorry," she said meekly.

Charlie looked up at her a little uncertainly.

"I don't really understand what just happened," the police officer admitted.

Joey sighed and sat down beside her.

"I just got strung out about people taking things from me," she said.

"What have I taken from you?" Charlie wondered.

"You know…" Joey tried, not wanting to be too explicit about it. "Having to do things in return for… stuff."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Joey sighed. Her heart raced a little at the thought that perhaps Angelo had lied to her.

"Just… I wasn't expecting physical contact and…"

Charlie sat up straighter.

"All this is because I touched your knee?" she asked incredulously. "I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't mean anything by it. I guess I kind of blurred the lines between professionalism and friendship. I'm sorry."

Joey looked at her a little uncomprehendingly.

"Or was it the kiss?" Charlie asked. "I didn't think you minded. You said you wanted me to. I'm sorry. I overstepped the line. Can we just forget about it and move on?"

Joey continued to stare at her. The thought that Angelo had lied to her was sounding more and more accurate by the minute. Charlie didn't seem to have any idea what had happened between them last night.

"Yeah," she eventually said. "Let's forget about it."

Charlie nodded and managed a smile.

"So, can I take you to the library or do you just want to hang out here?"

Joey smiled.

"The library sounds wonderful," she said.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Charlie and Joey were sat at a table in a small café, having lunch.<p>

"I really am sorry for being rude to you earlier," Joey said meekly.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that she had been played. She was furious with Angelo but compassionate towards Charlie. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt the woman who had worked so hard to protect her. That night, when they had come back from hunting the serial killer, she would ask Watson what was really going on. She seemed like a fair sort of woman who would tell her the truth. Then perhaps they could all put this thing behind them and Charlie need never find out what her boyfriend had been up to behind her back.

"It's forgotten," Charlie assured her. "Although, I have to admit I was kind of surprised."

"Because we've been getting on so well?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, that and…"

She trailed off and shook her head.

"Never mind," she said.

"No, what?" Joey nudged.

"You just didn't strike me as the kind of person who would panic over someone touching their knee," Charlie ventured.

Joey tried not to scowl, reminding herself repeatedly that none of this was Charlie's fault.

"I don't really like physical contact," she said quietly.

"But you're a…"

Charlie trailed off again and looked guilty.

"Just because I have to have sex with a lot of people in order to keep a roof over my head, doesn't mean I enjoy it, Charlie," Joey said shortly. "And you and I might have spent some time together recently but don't presume you know me."

Charlie hesitated for a moment, stirring her orange juice with her straw.

"Why do you keep doing it then?"

Joey sighed heavily.

"Do we have to have this conversation again?" she asked tiredly. "I've already told you why."

"But if you hate it so much, why don't you change your path?" Charlie wondered.

"And how do you suppose I could do that?"

"You could go to college," Charlie said.

"I dropped out of high school."

"So, you could go back and get the qualifications you missed out on," Charlie insisted. "You could get a job. _Any _job but this."

"Why does it matter to you?" Joey asked suddenly.

Charlie was stumped by the question for a moment, not entirely sure how to answer.

"Because I care about you," she eventually said, her voice mild and quiet.

"Why?" Joey asked.

"Because whether you see it or not, I think you're a very special person," Charlie said sincerely. "You're sweet and kind, you're thoughtful and smart… not to mention funny."

"I know," Joey joked with a cheeky wink.

Charlie laughed.

"See?" she said. "Joey, you could do anything you wanted to. If you just took the risk…"

"I can't," Joey said, her voice catching.

"Why not?"

Joey sighed heavily, not sure of how to answer.

"Okay, let me ask you another question," Charlie proposed. "And make sure you answer truthfully."

Joey nodded, toying with some fries on her plate.

"If you lived in an ideal world where you could literally be anything you wanted to be, what would you choose?" Charlie asked.

Joey ate a couple of chips and pondered the question.

"Well, I'd be rich for one thing," she said.

"And how would you get rich?"

"I'd be some hot shot business woman," Joey said, struggling not to get too invested in the idea. "Maybe I'd run a really cool bar or something. I always liked the idea of bar work. I spend so much time in them and even though I don't drink, I like the atmosphere. I like people watching."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully.

"So, you'd own a bar," she said. "What about where you'd live? What would that be like?"

"I'd live on a houseboat," Joey said excitedly.

Charlie raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"A houseboat? Really?" she said.

Joey nodded.

"I've always loved the sea so much. And the cash you saw me with the other day… those are all my savings for when I can afford to buy a boat of my own."

Charlie smiled.

"How much have you got left to make?" she asked.

"Too much," Joey sighed. "It's never going to happen."

"Hey," Charlie said, touching her hand. "We're discussing dreams here. We're not pissing all over them."

She withdrew her hand quickly and apologised. The last thing she wanted was to upset Joey again when she felt like they were starting to make progress.

"It's fine," Joey assured her. "I don't mind."

They smiled affectionately at each other, both struggling to keep a lid on their flourishing feelings. It was an unsettling situation for both of them.

"What about relationships?" Charlie asked, moving the conversation on.

"What about them?" Joey asked, finishing her food and pondering dessert.

"Would you have a boyfriend…?"

Joey pulled a horrified face.

"A girlfriend?" Charlie asked curiously.

Joey still looked appalled but her expression softened ever so slightly.

"I guess if I had to, I'd go for a girlfriend but I can't say it would be conventional," she ventured.

Charlie waited patiently for her to continue.

"I know this is going to sound utterly ridiculous but I hate sex," Joey admitted. "I think it's the most disgusting thing in the world. I've never enjoyed it and I never will, even when I hook up with people that are pretty hot. I don't understand why, if you love someone and you're pledging to spend your life with them, you'd want to taint your relationship with something like _that_."

Charlie half smiled, eyeing her curiously.

"So, if you had a partner, you'd want it to be platonic?" she asked.

"Well, I might kiss them or something," Joey conceded. "I mean, kissing you was pretty cool. But I wouldn't want to be sexual with anyone. It's gross."

"It can be nice," Charlie said thoughtfully.

Joey shook her head.

"It's hot and sweaty and dirty and disgusting," she said firmly. "If I was to leave this life, I can promise you that I would never have sex again if I could help it."

Charlie tried not to think about the erotic dream she'd had about her not so long ago. And she tried to ignore the deep disappointment she felt in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey continue to bond…<em>


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

Arriving back at the apartment, Charlie and Joey had a couple of hours to go until Angelo was due to take over the shift.

"So, you really don't like sex _at all_?" Charlie asked for the millionth time.

Joey snorted and headed into her room, perching on the bed and kicking off her shoes.

"I can't be the only person in the world that doesn't get it," Joey said. "I mean, not _everyone _must think sex in the best thing in the world…"

She looked a little glum at the thought of being so different. Charlie dared to perch on the bed beside her. With Joey's objection to physical contact, she was nervous of upsetting her again.

"Well, I don't really like it," she admitted quietly.

Joey laughed and stared at her.

"You don't like it and yet you've been absolutely flawed by the idea that I don't like it?" she asked incredulously.

Charlie laughed and nodded.

"Call me strange," she said.

"Strange," Joey replied.

Charlie laughed again.

"What don't you like about it?" Joey asked more seriously, looking into Charlie's eyes.

Charlie shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I don't know," she ventured. "I mean, I guess… well, I just think it's overhyped. Every time I do it, I think… is this it? If I have a girlie chat with my mates or something, they always go on about how awesome it is and how much they like it and I… I don't know. I always feel like there's something missing."

Joey raised her eyebrows.

"You know," she said with a hint of a smirk. "That's what a lot of girls say to me when they're confused about their sexuality."

"I'm not gay!" Charlie protested.

Joey just chuckled and flopped back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. She reached out to stroke Bear Cat, who was asleep on her pillow. Without thinking, Charlie shifted so that she was lying on her side, facing Joey and leaning over her a little.

"I'm not," she said.

"I didn't say you were," Joey said mildly, offering a friendly smile.

"You did…"

"I just suggested it might be something to think about," Joey said. "Either that, or you've been sleeping with the wrong men."

Charlie sighed, picturing Angelo. Her sexual experience wasn't all that vast but she had never met someone as selfish in bed as her boyfriend was. Shuddering a little, she thought about last night. He hadn't even _tried _to make it enjoyable for her. It had been an awful experience. She just hoped that now she'd satisfied him once, he wouldn't ask for a little while longer.

"Maybe," she said. "Are you…?"

"The right man?" Joey asked.

She grabbed her boobs and shook her head.

"Nope," she giggled.

Charlie laughed, trying and failing not to look at her and think about how beautiful she was. _Maybe I'm not that straight after all_, she wondered.

"Are you gay?" she asked more seriously.

Joey looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I guess," she said. "I mean, I'm probably more asexual than anything but yeah, I mean, if I had to pick between a man or a woman, I'd always pick the girl. When I'm with girls, it's the only time I nearly enjoy myself. I _don't _really enjoy it but it's not as terrible as with men, you know?"

Charlie nodded thoughtfully.

"Mostly, I'd just want someone to hold me," Joey admitted.

She coloured at the admission. She hadn't quite meant to say the words out loud.

"Hold you?" Charlie asked curiously.

Joey nodded, deciding that as she had already started the conversation, she may as well finish it.

"That's one of the many things I loved about Martha," she said, picturing her friend's face. "Even though it was genuinely platonic between us, we shared a bed and we loved each other so much. At the end of a shitty night, we used to just curl up and hold each other. I used to live for those moments. She used to make me feel so safe."

Charlie took a breath and dared to hold her hand. Joey accepted her happily, smiling up at her.

"Nobody has held me like that since she died," she said.

"Well, I know nobody could ever replace her," Charlie ventured. "But I'm told I'm pretty good at hugs."

She smiled shyly. Joey smiled back.

"Would you?" she asked.

"As long as you're not playing me again then, sure," Charlie remarked.

Joey giggled and assured her that she was currently being nothing but genuine. They shifted so that they were resting against the pillows. Charlie lay on her back and Joey curled into her. She rested her head on Charlie's chest, draping one arm over her tummy. Charlie kept one arm around her and held her hand with the other.

"Is this okay?" the police officer asked carefully.

"This is perfection," Joey replied, feeling like she was in a dream.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie battles her feelings for Joey, oblivious to the way Angelo is behaving…<em>


	32. Chapter 32

_This isn't the most pleasant chapter in the world but I hope you like it anyway, if that's the right word. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty Two**

"We'd better get up," Charlie mumbled.

She and Joey had been cuddled up together on the bed for quite some time. Both were feeling rather sleepy and rather lazy but the last thing Charlie needed was for Angelo to walk in and catch them. She wasn't entirely sure how she would go about explaining that one away.

"Don't go," Joey protested, holding on a little tighter to Charlie's warmth.

She felt more peaceful that she ever had. Even with Martha, she'd always been somewhat on her guard. Back at her old home, she was never sure when Brax or one of his lackeys were going to burst in and demand something from them. And Martha was usually high or desperate for a fix. But here with Charlie, Joey felt genuinely safe. It was a strange feeling but it was one she wanted to hold onto.

"Angelo's going to be here soon," Charlie said softly. "I don't want him to catch us."

A smile crept onto Joey's face and she opened her eyes just enough to make out Charlie's pretty face.

"You sound like we're having an affair or something," she remarked.

Charlie chuckled at her cheekiness.

"Maybe we are," she said without thinking.

Joey looked surprised and Charlie quickly apologised.

"Do you like me?" Joey asked seriously, sitting up and gazing into Charlie's eyes.

"Of course I like you," Charlie said quickly. "I mean, you're a nice person. I like lots of people…"

"You know what I mean," Joey said urgently.

She was surprised to realise how much she wanted the answer to be yes. This was a world away from everything she was used to and yet somehow, she didn't feel scared.

"I don't know," Charlie said.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, feeling more than a little panicked.

"Charlie…?"

"I really can't talk about this right now," the police officer said. "Please, just leave it?"

Joey studied her face. _No wonder she's horrified_, she thought sadly. _Who wouldn't be if they found themselves liking someone like you?_

"Sorry," she said quietly.

Charlie sat back on the bed.

"Don't be sorry," she said, taking her hand.

"I just…"

"This situation is kind of strange to me," Charlie said. "Firstly, until I met you I was absolutely, one hundred per cent straight. Or at least, I thought I was. Plus, I have a boyfriend and my daughter to consider. And I couldn't pursue anything with you anyway if you were… you know."

She sighed. Joey looked down and nodded.

"I guess I'm only good for rent money," she said sadly.

"Sorry?" Charlie said, utterly bewildered.

They were interrupted by Angelo letting himself into the apartment.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Joey was utterly deflated to be alone with Angelo. Charlie had said her goodbyes and gone to spend most of the rest of the evening with her daughter. Joey longed to go with her but she knew it wasn't appropriate.<p>

"Ready to pay your rent?" Angelo asked, corning her in the kitchen, much like he had done the night before.

"I already did," Joey snapped. "I'm not doing this with you again."

She elbowed her way past him and up into the lounge. He was quick to follow her, grabbing her wrist and spinning her round to face him.

"I don't think you really understand this," he said darkly.

"Look, you wanted it and I gave it to you," Joey said. "But unless Charlie – your _girlfriend_, I might add – sits me down and tells me I have to fuck the whole police force then I'm not going to."

"If you don't give it up willingly, then I'm taking it anyway," Angelo warned.

Joey froze. She'd been in situations like this before but she had always managed to get out of them. Right now though, she had no escape.

"Plus, rent aside, you owe me," Angelo said.

"What the fuck are you talking about now?" Joey snapped.

"You want my girlfriend," Angelo accused.

Joey just stared at him. She could hardly deny it, although her feelings for Charlie probably weren't quite what he assumed them to be.

"And hey, I was with you last night and with her right after so I guess that almost makes it like you've done her too," Angelo continued. "So, why don't we just get on with this?"

"I don't want to," Joey tried.

He gripped her wrist far too hard, making her wince. She knew she had no choice.

* * *

><p>Charlie was perplexed. When she had come to pick Joey and Angelo up for their night patrol, their charge was moody and detached again. Charlie couldn't help but worry it was because of their earlier conversation. She wished she hadn't said anything at all now. It wasn't like she could do anything more than mess with the poor girl's mind. She vowed to discuss things properly with her in the morning.<p>

Once again, their patrol was fruitless. Joey had been approached by several people but none of them had been the killer and she'd turned them down. All the while, Charlie, Watson, Angelo and the rest of their team kept a close eye on her. But nothing seemed to be happening.

"This is getting ridiculous, Charlie," Angelo said.

"I know," Charlie sighed. "Let's reconvene tomorrow and try and figure out what to do next."

* * *

><p>Before Watson took Joey back to the apartment, Charlie took her aside.<p>

"Can you make sure you keep a proper eye on Joey tonight?" she asked.

Offended, Watson insisted that she was doing a perfectly fine job.

"No," Charlie said quickly. "I'm not criticising. I'm just worried about her. She doesn't seem like she's in a very good place."

"Well, you can't blame her," Watson sighed. "I mean, who would be?"

"But she's okay in the day," Charlie said. "I'm just… concerned. Please take good care of her, okay?"

"Okay," Watson agreed. "I promise."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey confides in Watson and Charlie gets a shock…<em>


	33. Chapter 33

_Please no hate mail! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty Three**

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Watson asked hesitantly when she and Joey were back at the apartment. "You really seem to be struggling."

Joey sighed heavily and sank onto the sofa. Bear Cat hopped up to give her some fuss after several hours apart. Watson came to sit beside her.

"Can I ask you something?" Joey asked carefully.

"Of course you can," Watson replied. "We're all here to help you. No matter what."

Joey sighed heavily and nodded.

"Am I supposed to be paying rent on this place?"

"Rent?" Watson asked, confused. "No…"

"Like, with my… services?" Joey asked.

She twisted her hands together anxiously in her lap.

"Services?" Watson repeated, still bewildered.

Joey looked into the police officer's eyes.

"Angelo's been making me… you know…" she admitted.

Watson sat up and little straighter.

"You've been sleeping with him?" she asked.

"Not willingly!" Joey said quickly. "But yeah, he… well, he said about rent and… and, I believed him the first time but now I don't. I think he's been taking advantage. I don't think I was ever expected to do things like that. And I can't ask Charlie because he's her boyfriend and she'd be really hurt to think he'd been screwing me behind her back. And…"

She trailed off and sighed heavily. Watson hesitated, suddenly torn over what to say. The right thing to do, of course, was assure her that Angelo had been wrong to sleep with her. That wasn't what was expected of her at all and Watson was disgusted by her colleague's actions. But she could also understand where he was coming from. Joey was probably the most gorgeous woman Watson had ever met and it had been ever such a long time since she'd had any action from someone.

"Well, um… it's not _expected_," she ventured. "But if you _did _want to…"

Joey sat up straighter, a little startled. She'd been longing for Watson to tell her she didn't have to go with Angelo again. But she could see a distinctly recognisable look in the woman's eye.

"Watson…"

The police officer shifted a little closer and put her hand on Joey's knee.

"So, if you were up for it…?" she said.

Joey inched away and shook her head.

"I really don't want to," she said, pulling Bear Cat onto her lap in a bid to keep her distance.

Watson sighed, utterly deflated.

"Am I that hideous?" she asked unhappily.

"No!" Joey said. "You're lovely. I just…"

"I can't even pull a hooker," Watson said. "That's depressing."

"Watson, I think you're great," Joey said seriously. "I just… I was kind of hoping for a week or whatever of _not _having to do this kind of thing. It was horrible with Angelo. I hated it and it's making me feel really down, not to mention weird around Charlie."

"You like Charlie though, don't you?" Watson said.

Joey hesitated.

"I can tell," Watson said. "That's why you kissed her that time."

"I…"

"So, if you can kiss her, why can't you do something with me?"

Joey sighed. She wished she'd never brought the subject up at all now. And she wished that Charlie was her guard all the time so she didn't have to deal with Angelo or Watson's hormones.

"That was just a joke," she tried. "This is different."

"Look, I'm not saying you _have _to," Watson said. "But if you would, I'd do whatever it took to get Angelo off your back."

Joey paused.

"You'd get him to leave me alone?" she asked.

Watson nodded. She felt guilty for the bribe but now she had that idea in her head, she couldn't quite bring herself to let it go.

"Honestly?" Joey said.

She supposed hooking up with Watson would be at least better than Angelo.

"Honestly," Watson said. "All I have to do is threaten to tell Charlie and he'll soon back off."

Joey nodded hopefully.

"_If _you give me what I want tonight," she said.

"Okay," Joey said quietly. "Just… just once though? I'm really… I'm not comfortable with this. I don't want to. But if it means he'll leave me alone then…"

She nodded unhappily. Watson wasted no time in pouncing.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Joey woke up feeling horrible. She'd just about managed to convince Watson that she didn't cuddle and that she was required to sleep in her own bed.<p>

"I hate myself," she sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

She knew it was probably a bit strange but she almost felt like she was cheating on Charlie.

"Joey?" Watson's voice called through the bedroom door.

"Yeah?" she called back.

She didn't want the day to start. She didn't want to have to have any more contact with her. She just wanted to stay in bed, cuddle the cat and brace herself for facing Charlie again.

"Can I come in?" the police officer asked.

"I'll come out," Joey decided, climbing out of bed and throwing some clothes on.

She hauled a baggy jumper over her head, desperate to look as unappealing as she could.

"Yes?" she said.

"We have some time before Charlie gets here…"

"Watson, no…" Joey said tiredly. "Please, I…"

"I noticed you had an um… appendage in that little carrier bag of yours."

Joey froze. She cursed herself for bringing it with her. It had just cost a fair bit and when she hooked up with _paying _women, it was quite often popular.

"What about it?" she asked rather bitterly.

"Well, could we…?"

"You said just once!" Joey protested. "I really don't want to…"

"One more time and I will definitely deal with Angelo for you," Watson promised. "He won't touch you again."

Joey sighed heavily, cursing herself for revealing to her just how important it was to have Angelo leave her the hell alone.

"Fine," she snapped. "But quickly."

* * *

><p>Charlie dropped Ruby to school and headed over to Joey's apartment. She'd had a row with Angelo the night before. He wanted more passion but she had just been fretting about Joey. A little early, she let herself in, happy to send Watson away and make things right with the woman she had come to care so much about. She paused in the doorway to the lounge and fought the urge to vomit. Watson, in a state of undress was on all fours on the floor. Joey, in a ridiculously large jumper was very obviously penetrating her from behind. They leapt apart the moment they saw her. Charlie's eyes widened as she realised that Joey had a strap-on over her crotch, poking out of her undone jeans. She covered herself quickly with a blanket and looked even more mortified than Watson did. Charlie continued to stare as Watson threw her clothes back on.<p>

"Charlie, I can explain…" Watson managed.

"Great," Charlie said bitterly. "I can't wait to hear this one."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie argues with both Watson and Joey and learns the truth about Angelo…<em>


	34. Chapter 34

_Well, I wasn't expecting the last chapter to be quite so controversial. I have to admit that the unpleasant reviews were quite upsetting. I think life is too short to put up with people who won't sign in to leave nasty responses so for the time being, I have disabled anonymous reviews._

_I don't quite understand what point 'a bit miffed' was making. And in answer to 'sigh': I write Angelo as a pathetic character because he is a pathetic character and no, I do not hate men._

_I find it quite offensive that there are people who will read the stories that I put a lot of effort into and never give any feedback until I write something they don't like. I appreciate constructive criticism but just being horrible is rude and I'm almost glad that I've 'ruined' the story for some people as they're not the people I am writing for._

_The people I am writing for are people like bristolcj, Konga, DV8ByDesign, Eatmywords, Born2Try and thane3 who may not have liked the content – as nobody was supposed to – but reviewed positively anyway. And for readers like chazny, Blue1927, jensy25, luckdog and .. who appreciated the particular twist in this story and stood up for me._

_Now, with no more essay to write, on with the chapter… Love, IJKS xxx_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirty Four<strong>

Watson hurried to get dressed, still insisting that she could explain. Joey dashed into the bathroom, embarrassed and ashamed as she attempted to sort herself out and get rid of the strap-on she hadn't even wanted to use. She hadn't wanted to do any of this and worse still, she hadn't wanted Charlie to discover what was happening. She paused inside the bathroom door, listening to the heated debate going on in the lounge.

"How the fuck can you explain this?" Charlie yelled angrily. "Screwing a hooker on the floor of the safe house we've put her into? I mean, firstly, how disgusting are you? And secondly, how immoral?"

"I'm not…" Watson tried.

"She's not supposed to be working, Watson! And while I don't care what you get up to in your own time, you _are _meant to be working! You're meant to be looking after her and keeping her safe! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry!" Watson burst out, looking close to tears.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Charlie snapped back. "The police aren't paying you to screw a whore!"

* * *

><p>In the bathroom, Joey closed the door again. She sank onto the floor, resting her back against the side panel of the bath. Resting her forehead on her knees, she curled up and tried to regulate her breathing. Tears fell quickly and she couldn't be bothered to stop them. She was too tired and too hurt to even feel angry. All this time, she'd actually believed that Charlie thought better of her than that. For a moment there, she had even thought they could be friends or maybe more. Now, she just felt like a fool. As far as Charlie was concerned, she was just a whore. She'd said it herself. And she doubted she would take it back.<p>

* * *

><p>"Charlie, I was lonely and… and…" Watson faltered.<p>

"Get out," Charlie warned her darkly.

Watson began to tremble. Not only was she horribly embarrassed, she was also ashamed and rather startled to see this level of anger in her superior.

"Charlie…"

"Get out," the Sergeant repeated bitterly.

"I will but there's something you have to know," Watson tried again.

"Get out!" Charlie shouted so loudly that she hurt her own throat.

Watson disappeared without so much as putting her shoes on. Charlie listened to the front door slam and then sank down on the sofa with her head in her hands.

* * *

><p>After ten minutes or trying to gather her senses together, Charlie gave herself a mental shake and went looking for Joey. She had been too angry to see where she had actually gone.<p>

"Joey?" she called, looking into both bedrooms and wondering where both women might have slept last night.

She wondered if this 'affair' or whatever it was had been going on long? And if it had, why had Joey been playing with her feelings like that? Was she just manipulative, out for whatever she could get? None of this made sense.

"Joey?" she called again.

The kitchen was empty and the back door was locked from the inside. It only left the bathroom.

"Joey?" she said, knocking lightly on the door.

She jerked back when the door was thrust open wildly. Looking a mix between angry and tearful, Joey elbowed her way past and stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Charlie hesitated. The sex toy had been dumped unceremoniously in the bath and Charlie shuddered with the memories of what she had seen. Sighing heavily, she headed back up the small flight of stairs, across the lounge and to Joey's bedroom door. Bear Cat was hiding under the sofa.

"Joey?" she tried. "I need to talk to you."

"I don't require a lecture," Joey barked back, her voice rather high.

"Look, I think I had every right to lose my temper," Charlie said stubbornly. "I'm so disappointed in you. It's not like there were a lot of rules in place. You'd think you could…"

Joey opened the door swiftly, startling her.

"I'm just a whore," she said blankly. "Why would you have expected anything better?"

"I…" Charlie struggled.

"Well, that's what you think of me, isn't it?" Joey demanded.

"No…"

"Well, that's what you said!" Joey shouted. "After all the shit you've come out with over the last few days! You've been banging on like a bleeding fucking heart about how I could do better and all that shit. And all along, you just thought I was scum."

"I don't think you're scum," Charlie insisted.

She moved forward but got the door slammed in her face.

"Joey, that's not what I think of you," she said.

It was true. Anger had made her say things she didn't mean and now she feared it was too late to take them back.

"Joey?" she tried.

When the young woman refused to reply, Charlie braced herself to enter the room. She found Joey curled up on the bed, cuddling the cat with her back to her. She hovered anxiously.

"Joey?" she said again.

She was met with continued silence.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said. "I said some things I didn't mean and I'm sorry. But you can't behave like this…"

"I didn't want to!" Joey said, sitting up and meeting her gaze.

"Sorry?"

"It's not like I'm some kind of nympho who just couldn't help herself," Joey said. "I'm not the person you obviously think I am."

"I don't…"

"I only did it because she said she'd help me!"

Charlie paused and then moved to sit carefully on the bed.

"Help you with what?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," Joey mumbled, moving back to lie down and face the window.

Bear Cat stopped hiding and hopped up on the bed beside her, purring and attempting to offer comfort.

"Whatever it was, did you have to sleep with her to get it?" Charlie asked. "What was so important?"

"It doesn't matter," Joey repeated stubbornly.

Charlie sighed heavily and rubbed her face. This wasn't exactly how she had expected to spend her morning. Part of her even wished she'd never found out. Then she and Joey could have carried on their merry way. But then, thinking about how happy she had been up till now in Joey's company, just made her feel like a fool.

"Joey, please?" she begged. "Why did you…?"

"That was her price, Charlie!" Joey snapped, turning back to face her again. "It's not like I got a choice!"

"Joey, please, just explain this to me," Charlie requested urgently. "I don't understand what's happened here."

Joey sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"I really don't want to," she said unhappily. "It's going to hurt your feelings."

"So, you've been playing me all this time?" Charlie accused softly.

"What?" Joey replied. "No. Don't be silly."

"I do feel pretty silly right now," Charlie remarked. "I feel like I've been trying to help you and you've just been playing some sort of game with me. And it's not fair, Joey."

"What's not fair is the names you called me," Joey insisted. "You were the one person in the world that I never expected to treat me that way."

Charlie sighed and held up her hands in defeat.

"Just explain," she said. "Please? Anything you've got to say is better than not having a clue at all about what just happened."

Joey sighed heavily, bracing herself to tell the truth.

"You're not going to like it," she said.

"I'm sure I won't," Charlie agreed.

"Watson said that if I'd sleep with her, then she'd keep Angelo away from me," Joey explained.

"I still have no idea what you're talking about," Charlie admitted.

"He's been… demanding," Joey said awkwardly.

She studied Charlie's face as realisation dawned on her.

"You mean you've been sleeping with Angelo too?" she asked meekly. "My Angelo?"

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey reveals all that has been happening to her and Charlie opens up about her past…<em>


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five**

Charlie stared at Joey for what felt like hours. Joey shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, alternating between stroking the cat, twiddling her fingers and looking at the floor.

"You slept with Angelo?" Charlie repeated.

"I'm so sorry," Joey said quietly.

"Since you've been staying here?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded.

"How many times?"

"Three," Joey admitted. "Charlie, I really am sorry."

"Why?" Charlie asked. "All this time, I thought you and I were becoming friends. And yet you've slept with my boyfriend. And my friend. You've screwed everybody apart from me!"

Joey resisted cracking and insensitive joke and just nodded instead.

"Why?" Charlie asked again.

"It… okay, the first time was before I even knew you," Joey explained.

She wrung her hands together anxiously and looked at the bed sheet pattern.

"I mean, I knew you," she said. "We'd spoken maybe a couple of times but we weren't friends or anything."

"We're not friends now," Charlie said quickly. "Not anymore."

Joey hung her head and nodded, swallowing the lump that was aching in her throat.

"He just paid me and I thought that was the end of it," Joey said. "But then I came here and…"

"And what?" Charlie snapped. "You just couldn't help yourself?"

Joey edged back, shocked by the venom in her voice. She wondered how she could ever explain. But even if she did, she doubted that she and Charlie would ever get back what they had.

"He said I owed him," she explained, her voice trembling.

Charlie narrowed her eyes in a mix of caution and confusion.

"Owed him?" she repeated.

"For rent and stuff."

"Rent?" Charlie said, her bewilderment growing.

"Like… you weren't helping me for nothing and…"

"Well, of course we're not helping you for nothing!" Charlie cut in. "You're helping us catch a murderer. I think putting you up in an apartment is payment enough, don't you?"

"I did," Joey said uncertainly. "But he kept insisting. He even said I could call you to check if I wanted. I should have called his bluff."

She sighed unhappily and continued to play with her fingers. Charlie studied her with interest.

"Then last night…" Joey ventured.

Charlie swallowed. She wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to take any of this.

"Well, you hadn't said anything like what he was insisting all throughout the day," Joey said. "I was so confused because you were being so lovely to me and he was being so… horrible. I stopped believing him and he said… well, um, we did it anyway and I'm sorry."

She finished her sentence too quickly and curled up a little tighter. Charlie peered closely at her. She was presenting with too familiar signs of something bad having happened. Scooting closer, Charlie gently took Joey's hands.

"Joey, what happened?" she asked seriously.

"Nothing," Joey lied. "Just… nothing."

Charlie felt compassionate as she saw the pain in her eyes.

"Joey…"

"He said if I didn't agree then he'd do it anyway so I had to."

A tear escaped. Charlie mirrored her expression and held her hands tighter.

"Joey, I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry," Joey said. "I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"It doesn't sound like you did," Charlie said.

Joey peeked up at her.

"You said I did," she pointed out. "You said we weren't friends anymore."

"That's before I gave you a chance to explain," Charlie said. "I'm sorry. I should have listened before I judged you."

Joey shrugged.

"Why _wouldn't _you assume it was my fault?" she asked. "It probably was."

Charlie shifted so that she was sitting beside her on the bed, putting her arm around her.

"It wasn't your fault," she said. "The bastard threatened to rape you. He _did _rape you!"

Joey froze and looked fearfully at her.

"He didn't…"

"What else would you call it?"

"You can't rape a hooker," Joey said.

"Of course you can," Charlie insisted. "No is no, whoever you are. Joey, this isn't your fault. And I'm so sorry I put you in danger."

Joey allowed Charlie to gather her into her arms. It felt good to be held, especially by the woman she had grown to adore.

"What about Watson?" Charlie asked after several moments.

"Last night… when we got back… I asked her what was going on," Joey said sadly. "You know, like if Angelo was in the right or if he'd done the wrong thing. She said that while it wasn't _required _for me to pay my way with my… services… it would be nice. And then she said she'd get Angelo off my back if I did it with her once. But once last night led to another time this morning and then… well, you know the rest."

Charlie hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

><p>It was a couple of hours later. Joey had been lying in Charlie's arms, utterly deflated. She kept her eyes closed, gently appreciating the way that Charlie played with her hair and held her close.<p>

"What do we do now?" Joey wondered quietly.

"Well, we need to rearrange the shift pattern," Charlie said. "Obviously it's out of the question to have Angelo or Watson looking after you. But I don't really know who else to employ. I feel like if I can't trust my soon to be ex-boyfriend or one of my best friends then who else is there?"

Joey sat up a little abruptly.

"You're going to break up with him?" she asked.

"Of course I am," Charlie said. "He forced himself on you. I want to kick the shit out to him, if I'm honest."

Joey sighed and snuggled back into her arms.

"He didn't force me though," she said. "I agreed."

"Unwillingly," Charlie said. "Joey, if you make it clear that sex isn't what you want. If the guy knows you don't want to do it. And he insists on it anyway then it's rape. No question."

"It'd never stand up in court," Joey pointed out.

"It would if we tried," Charlie said.

Joey shook her head resolutely. Charlie sighed, gently playing with Joey's hair.

"When I was fourteen, I thought I was so grown up," the police officer ventured. "I went to this party and I thought there was no situation I couldn't handle. Like an idiot, I let this boy from my class walk me home. And even more stupidly, I let him walk me through an alley that he claimed was a short cut."

She swallowed, a lump aching in her throat as she continued to focus on Joey's pretty hair.

"When we were right in the centre, he pushed me up against a wall and started kissing me," she continued. "Then he started groping me and when I asked him to stop, he refused. He got more pushy and when I kept struggling with him, he slapped me round the face and then pinned my arms over my head. He was a lot bigger than me and even though I was really into training and keeping fit, he was a lot stronger. He pinned me with one hand and used the other to fight with my clothes."

Joey's grip on her hand got a little harder. Her heart pounded at the direction Charlie's story was taking.

"He told me that if I screamed or fought him, he'd kill me," Charlie said. "I had no choice. He raped me. At first, I kept struggling but the pain was just so… so awful. I gave up and let it happen just so it wouldn't be so agonising."

She rubbed her face, pushing her tears away. Joey hugged her a little closer.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie," she said gently.

"I've never told anyone about it," Charlie admitted. "I got pregnant with Ruby but nobody knows how it happened. Everyone thinks I consented and that I just got up to no good before I was ready. Even my parents."

Joey sat up and stared at her.

"You never told _anyone_?" she asked incredulously.

"You're not the only one who's good at keeping secrets," Charlie said.

She began to play gently with Joey's fingers, not quite able to meet her gaze.

"And to make matters worse, after all of that, I've let a man capable of the same kind of horror live with me, live with my daughter, look after you…"

She shook her head and let her tears fall openly. Joey shifted forward and cupped her face, forcing her to meet her gaze.

"None of what you just said was your fault," she said. "You were that boy's victim. And you had no idea about Angelo. Why would you? And it's not… it's not the same anyway."

"Of course it's the same!" Charlie protested. "He forced you…"

"But it's only me," Joey said quickly. "You know who I am and you know where I've been. What does one more thing like that matter really?"

Charlie stared uncomprehendingly at her.

"How can you say that?" she asked. "I know exactly who you are and you didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves that but especially not you."

Joey shook her head.

"He didn't threaten to kill me or anything," she said. "It's not the same."

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"What are we going to do now?" Joey wondered.

"Well, I'm going to have to cart you around for a bit," Charlie said.

Joey looked confused.

"I don't trust anyone to look after you and I have to throw Angelo out and then report him and Watson for their behaviour," the police officer explained.

"Oh, you don't have to report them," Joey said. "Just… keep them away from me."

"They can't be trusted," Charlie insisted. "It would be unethical _not _to report it. I have to."

Joey sighed, accepting that she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Ready for an exciting day?" Charlie asked, forcing some cheer.

"As I'll ever be," Joey replied.

Standing up, she took Charlie's hand again.

"Charlie, I really am sorry for…"

"It's not your fault," Charlie insisted. "None of this was your fault. And for my part, I'm sorry for reacting like that when I didn't have all the facts."

Joey leant forward and kissed her cheek.

"You never have to apologise to me," she said sincerely.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie throws Angelo out, reports him and Watson to the police and decide to act as Joey's sole guard…<em>


	36. Chapter 36

_I know it's not the extra update of 'Freshers' you requested but I hope you like it all the same. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty Six**

Joey sat somewhat awkwardly in Charlie's lounge while her bodyguard broke up with her boyfriend. She tried to ignore the sounds of shouting as Charlie told Angelo exactly what she thought of him and he tried to convince her not to throw out all his stuff onto the street.

"How the hell can you take her word against mine?" Angelo said, hovering anxiously behind Charlie as she slung his clothes into bin liners.

"Because I know she wouldn't lie to me," Charlie replied.

She elbowed him out of the way and set to work on emptying his underwear into the bags.

"So, you're taking some slut's word over mine?" he demanded.

She whirled around, her eyes blazing in a way he had never seen before.

"Tell me that you didn't have sex with her," she said. "Tell me right now."

"I didn't…" Angelo faltered.

He sighed heavily and sank down on the end of the bed with his face in his hands.

"It wasn't like that," he protested. "Charlie…"

She finished rooting through his drawers and stormed into the bathroom to get rid of his things from there.

"Charlie, it wasn't like that!" he insisted as he followed her.

"What was it like then?" she asked, concentrating on her task.

"You and I hadn't been together in weeks," he said. "I was weak and she was there and…"

Charlie whirled back round to face him.

"We might not have done it for a while when you screwed her the first time," she said. "You know, in that back alley on some dirty night after hours. But what about the last two nights? You finished forcing her to fuck you and then you demanded it from me."

"I didn't force her!"

"Yes, you did!" Charlie snapped. "She told me exactly what happened and you damn well forced her!"

Anger boiled over as she thought about the way he had treated the woman she cared so much about. She thrust his toothbrush firmly against his chest and pushed him out of the way. He winced and followed her back into the hall where she tied up the bags and dragged them out the front door.

"Charlie, would you just listen to me…?"

"I'll listen to you when you're giving your defence statement after I report you to Robertson," Charlie informed him.

He reached out and tried to take her hands but she jerked away.

"Why are you letting that bitch get into your head?" he asked urgently.

"She's not a bitch," Charlie said. "She's an amazing woman who's had a really shit life. This was our chance to help her find a way to walk away from everything she's been subjected to all these years. And you just took advantage of her. You're absolutely disgusting. I hate you."

He tried to object but she pushed him through the front door, slamming it in his face. Sighing heavily and suddenly feeling like all her energy had been drained from her body, Charlie sank onto the floor, her back against the wall. She ignored Angelo's knocks, having already taken his key from him and closed her eyes.

"Charlie?" said a meek voice.

Charlie looked up to find Joey hovering beside her looking anxious.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry," she said.

The police officer managed a smile and shook her head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she assured her.

Opening her arms, she gestured for Joey to join her on the floor. Joey came to sit with her, enjoying the warmth of her hug. They held each other for a long time.

* * *

><p>In the afternoon, Charlie took Joey to the police station to make a statement about both Angelo and Watson's behaviour.<p>

"I'm genuinely sorry for what they did," Robertson said gravely.

Joey nodded, not quite able to find her voice.

"Who should we put in their places, Charlie?" he asked. "Obviously they can't work this case anymore. For starters, I'm suspending them. And that's before we even think about criminal charges."

Charlie nodded.

"To be honest, at this point in time, I don't trust anyone," she admitted. "I'd say I'd go on twenty four hour duty but I can't just abandon my daughter."

She sighed heavily, not quite sure what to do next. Robertson nodded thoughtfully.

"What about Avery?" he suggested. "He's on shift today, he's been working on the case with us and he seems like a decent guy."

Charlie looked hesitant.

"What do you think, Joey?" she asked.

The younger woman shrugged.

"I don't mind," she said.

Charlie was struck by how empty she sounded.

"Look, let Avery take her for now," Robertson said. "You've got to be getting home to meet your daughter, don't you?"

Charlie nodded. Ruby would have finished school by now.

"Then we can work things out from there," the Detective decided.

* * *

><p>Charlie and Joey reluctantly parted ways. Avery took Joey back to the safe house while Charlie forced herself to go home.<p>

"What's happened?" Ruby asked immediately.

Throwing Angelo out had left rather a lot of mess and if that hadn't triggered the question than seeing the state her mother was in would have.

"I don't even know where to start," she admitted.

Ruby took her mother's hand and led her onto the couch.

"Start from the beginning," she said.

Joey hid away in her room with Bear Cat for the rest of the day. She couldn't quite process exactly how the day had gone. She felt terribly guilty for her part in Charlie's hurt and she worried that she had done wrong by telling the truth. It seemed like Charlie had lost everything now and it felt like it was all her fault. Guilt overwhelmed her. She curled up on the bed in tears.

"I think you need to be Joey's permanent guard," Ruby decided when Charlie had told her everything.

"I can't," she said. "I know you're grown up and independent and everything but I can't just abandon you."

"Well, I could always go and stay with Leah," Ruby said. "Or even Irene. I know things are kind of packed with Bianca and April living there but there would probably be room."

"I don't want to throw you out of your own home, Rubes," Charlie said. "I'm committed to my job but you're always going to come first. You know that."

"I know," Ruby said, gently touching Charlie's hand. "I know. But this is different."

Charlie nodded and sighed.

"For starters, you're trying to catch a serial killer," Ruby said. "And secondly, you're in love with Joey."

Charlie jolted. She stared at Ruby in shock.

"Excuse me?" she demanded.

"There's no shame in it, Mum," Ruby said. "And while I hope you're not about to start paying for it… it's obvious you have feelings for her."

Charlie sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"Why do you have to be so perceptive?" she wondered.

"I'm just that awesome," Ruby replied, making her Mum chuckle.

Charlie leant over and played with Ruby's hair for a moment.

"And how did you get so grown up?" she asked wistfully.

"It happens to the best of us," she said. "But seriously, Mum, you need to finish this. You need to catch the killer, work out your feelings and then figure out the future. And I'm not about to stop you doing that just so you'll cook me dinner every day. It won't be long. I can go and crash somewhere else and all you have to do is call me each day."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked.

"I'm sure," she said. "You need to do this."

* * *

><p>Having packed Ruby safely off to Leah's for what they both hoped was as short a time as possible, Charlie packed her own things and headed over to the safe house. She found Avery in the lounge, watching TV.<p>

"She's in her room," he said, switching it off. "She's been there ever since we got back."

"Okay," Charlie said, nodding thoughtfully. "Meet you at the usual spot at nine thirty?"

"Yep," he agreed, standing up and heading back out of the apartment.

Alone, Charlie knocked tentatively on Joey's door.

"Joey, it's Charlie," she called when she didn't answer.

"Come in," was the young woman's quiet reply.

Charlie came to sit on the bed and immediately took Joey in her arms.

"I'm going to be your guard all the time," she said.

"What about Ruby?" Joey wondered.

"She's gone to stay with some friends of ours," Charlie explained. "She'll be fine there."

"But…"

"It's fine," Charlie said. "We're going to find this guy and bring him to justice. And we're going to put you back on your feet."

Joey nodded and shrugged at the same time. She couldn't help but think she was a lost cause.

"Charlie, you've sacrificed so much for me…" she said glumly.

Charlie just smiled and stroked her cheek with the back of her hand.

"I haven't been honest with you," Joey said.

She looked down, not able to meet Charlie's gaze.

"I've kept important things from you and… I'm sorry."

"What kind of things have you kept from me?" Charlie wondered rather nervously.

Joey finally looked at her.

"I know much more about the murders than I led you to believe," she admitted.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie learns a lot more about the serial killer she is trying to catch…<em>


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

Charlie stared a little uncomprehendingly at Joey for a moment. Her mouth felt dry as she began to worry that she had sacrificed her relationship and possibly Angelo and Watson's careers for nothing. _No_, she reminded herself. _Regardless of what Joey says, they still did wrong by her. They still deserve to get punished._

"What… what do you mean?" she asked, her voice abnormally hollow.

"Please don't hate me," Joey begged.

Charlie was struck by how genuinely terrified she looked.

"Just tell me whatever you know," the police officer said gently. "Okay?"

Joey nodded. Sitting on the bed with their backs against the wall, the two women held hands.

"I don't think this guy is the same man as before," Joey ventured, her voice shaking slightly.

Charlie was sure she could detect a definite tremble in her hand as well.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because he seemed the same age both times I… encountered him," Joey explained. "And he moved differently. There was something very much the same about him and something very much different."

She looked puzzled. Charlie retained her patience.

"So, what are you thinking?" she asked. "Maybe they're related or something?"

Joey nodded.

"And… well, the first time I met him," she said uncertainly. "It wasn't… it wasn't a friend that got killed. It was…"

Charlie hung on every word that was struggling to make it out of Joey's mouth.

"It was my mother," Joey finally admitted.

Charlie was shocked. Joey could see it in her eyes.

"Your mother?" she eventually asked.

Joey nodded.

"And he very much intended to kill her," she said. "He said that it was her fault… that she'd brought it on herself. I mean, mostly, all I could hear was my Mum screaming at me to run. We both knew he was going to go after me next but I think… I think only he and my Mum knew why."

"Do you have any ideas?" Charlie asked.

"No," Joey sighed. "I can only think that she had something on him. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Mum. I always will. I loved her when she was nice to me. I loved her when I had to clean up after her drug binges. I loved her when our situation got me bullied at school. I've always loved her."

Charlie nodded quietly.

"But I also knew her," she said. "I know that she wasn't above blackmail to try and get ahead. I know she'd do anything for drugs. I know she had a lot of faults. So, he could have… I don't know, been someone important or something. I didn't recognise him but if it could have caused a scandal for him to use her services or whatever then she could easily have tried to get money from him. I don't know."

She sighed heavily before shifting to look into her friend's eyes.

"Do you hate me?" she asked.

"No," Charlie assured her. "I mean, I'm grateful that you've filled in some blanks now but…"

She smiled and squeezed Joey's hand.

"I think we've come too far for me to hate you," she said sincerely.

Joey beamed at her, settling into her arms. Charlie idly played with her hair while she turned over the new information in her mind. Why, if Joey was correct, would the killer, or someone related to the killer, come after Joey and her 'colleagues' now? Charlie believed more than ever that Joey was the person he was looking for. She just couldn't figure out why.

"How old did you think this guy was?" she asked.

"I don't know," Joey said. "In his thirties I think."

"Both times?"

Joey nodded.

"So, if the guy had been in his thirties when he killed… before," Charlie said thoughtfully. "Then he'd be in his fifties now. But this guy is also in his thirties…"

She turned the idea over and over in her head, trying to figure out the puzzle.

"Maybe a son or something," she mused.

"Maybe," Joey said, suddenly very tired.

Charlie stroked her arm gently. Joey smiled at the realisation that regardless of the situation, Charlie always seemed able to make her tingle. It wasn't something she had experience up till now.

"But why would he be after you?" she wondered.

_Unless_… she thought to herself. Keeping quiet, she posed a new theory in her mind. It started to make a worrying amount of sense.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey figure out their relationship…<em>


	38. Chapter 38

_For the time being, while I am trying to put myself back together, I think I will only do one update each day. I want to continue to be regular with chapters but it's too taxing right now to do more than one. But hopefully I will be back on my feet soon and I can increase again. I hope you enjoy the chapter – short but hopefully sweet. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

It had been another empty and fruitless night. For a moment there, it looked like they had found the killer but he had just been a shifty punter looking for a good time. Angelo and Watson had both been taken off the case and during surveillance, Charlie had overheard a hell of a lot of gossip. She'd tried to tune out of it, feeling rather humiliated over what her supposed boyfriend had done.

Back in the apartment, both Joey and Charlie were in low moods. Joey headed straight for her room and flopped down on the bed. Charlie followed, perching on the edge and tentatively, holding her hand.

"I'm sorry," Joey mumbled into her pillow.

Charlie squeezed her hand affectionately.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she assured her.

Joey rolled back over, looking distraught.

"I feel like I'm letting you down every night that we don't catch him," she admitted.

Charlie moved to lie on the bed, gathering Joey into her arms. She kissed the top of her head.

"You're doing your best," she said soothingly. "It's all any of us can do."

"But it's _my fault_ that he's out there at all," Joey said. "I'm the one he wants to kill. And all those other girls…"

"It's not your fault," Charlie insisted. "And on the plus side, all the while he hasn't tried to attack you, he's not attacked anyone else either."

Joey nodded, feeling at least a little comforted.

"I bet you wish you'd never met me," she said sadly.

"As if!" Charlie chuckled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I just wish I'd known you longer. I love… spending time with you."

A curious smile twitched at the corner of Joey's mouth as she watched Charlie blush and panic.

"I love spending time with you too," she said deliberately.

They smiled lovingly at each other, the moment suddenly charged with emotion. Before she could stop herself, Charlie leant in and brushed her lips softly against Joey's. Any fear of rejection was dispelled when she felt Joey return her kiss, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her closer. They kissed tenderly and for a long time.

"You're still the best kiss I've ever had," Joey murmured softly when they parted.

Charlie giggled as they rested their foreheads together.

"And you're the best kiss _I've _ever had," she replied shyly.

Joey smiled and kissed her again. She sighed when they parted.

"Charlie, what are we doing?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," the police officer admitted. "Apart from breaking all the rules."

"You rebel, you," Joey teased.

Charlie giggled and stroked Joey's hair, cupping her face with one hand.

"You're the most incredible person I have ever met," she said. "I adore you."

"I don't really understand how," Joey admitted. "I mean, you know what I am and where I've been and…"

"And I adore you anyway," Charlie interrupted. "I don't care about your past."

Joey smiled and kissed her again. She faltered when Charlie didn't look happy.

"Was that a bad kiss?" she asked worriedly.

Charlie chuckled and shook her head.

"No kiss from you could ever be bad but…"

She sighed heavily.

"I just… I don't know where we can go from here."

"Because of what I am?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded anxiously.

"I just… I couldn't do it, you know?" she ventured. "I mean, I'd love for us to be together. I'd love to… I don't know, be your girlfriend. I'd love to have a future. But… but I just couldn't if I… if you were… you know."

Joey nodded thoughtfully. She chewed her lip and studied Charlie's beautiful face. Not for the first time, she wondered how it could possibly be that someone as wonderful as Charlie could ever be interested in her.

"I don't have to… you know," she said before she could stop herself.

Charlie looked a little startled.

"But you said that's all you know how to do…" she said.

"Yeah, well, I thought a lot of these things before the beginning of this week," she said. "I thought this was all I had. But if a miracle like you can come into my life then who knows what else can? I… I'd give it up for you, Charlie. I'd give anything up for you. I'd do anything if… if you really wanted to be mine."

Charlie couldn't stop smiling.

"I want to be yours," she said.

"Even if… if all I was capable of doing was kissing?" Joey asked cautiously.

"Even if," Charlie confirmed with a quiet chuckle.

She ran her hands through Joey's hair.

"Because I really, really like kissing you," Joey mumbled against her lips.

"Well, then there's at least one thing we've got going for us in our rather unconventional set up," Charlie replied, refusing to come up for air.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie frets about her conduct with Joey…<em>


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

The following morning, Charlie took Joey to the police station where they were informed that both Angelo and Watson had been suspended pending an investigation into their conduct. Joey felt guilty, although Charlie tried to assure her than none of this was her fault. Watson left the station glumly and in silence. Angelo immediately approached his ex-girlfriend and her charge.

"I hope you're both happy," he said.

He looked disgustedly at Joey. Then he turned his attention to Charlie.

"How could you do this to me?" he asked.

"How could you do that to her?" Charlie replied bitterly.

"She's just a whore, Charlie!" he snapped. "Why are you so fucking obsessed with her?"

"I'm obsessed with doing the right thing," Charlie insisted. "And getting rid of you is definitely that."

He glared at her, annoyed over having to rent a caravan from Alf Stewart. The whole town was talking about him and people such as Colleen in the Diner had given him a hard time for cheating on Charlie. It annoyed him that she was so well loved by their community and nobody was even willing to hear his side of the story.

* * *

><p>Arriving back at the apartment, Joey sank onto her bed in order to cuddle the cat. Charlie was continuously amused that Joey was so charmed with having an actual bed, having spent her whole life sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Rolling onto her back, she reached out and opened her arms in order to welcome Charlie into them. The police officer hesitated but then hugged her. Smiling, Joey leant in for a kiss but frowned when Charlie pulled away.<p>

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Have I done something?"

"No," Charlie said awkwardly.

She shifted so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed instead of lying in Joey's arms. Joey also moved in order to sit beside her.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"I'm doing wrong by you," Charlie said gravely.

"What do you mean?"

"Kissing you, holding you," Charlie said. "I shouldn't be doing things like that."

"But I like it!" Joey grinned. "And being twenty six when I had my first kiss, I have a hell of a lot of catching up to do."

Charlie chuckled and squeezed her hand.

"It's not right," she said unhappily. "I just got two officers suspended for taking advantage of you and I'm doing the same damn thing."

Joey reached out and stroked her face.

"No, you're not," she said sincerely. "I _want _to be doing this with you. I love kissing you and snuggling up. I didn't want anything to happen with them. They made me. You and I… it's a different thing."

"I'm still in a position of power over you," Charlie objected.

"Hey, I'm good at power games," Joey smirked.

Charlie didn't laugh.

"Sorry," Joey said. "Hooker humour. Totally inappropriate."

Charlie still didn't laugh.

"Okay, I'm going to stop talking now," Joey decided. "Except to say that you're not taking advantage of me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and if I had to be without you, it would feel like the end of the world."

Charlie sighed heavily and flopped back on the bed in a rather dramatic fashion.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," she admitted.

Joey moved back also, lying on her side and resting her hand on Charlie's tummy. She leant down and kissed her.

"This," she said softly.

"It just doesn't feel right," Charlie said. "I feel like I'm taking advantage."

"But you're not," Joey insisted.

Charlie sighed again and stroked Joey's hair.

"Is this over before it's begun?" Joey asked worriedly.

"No," Charlie said. "I want to be with you."

"So be with me!"

She offered a dazzling smile. Charlie adored her even more.

"Would you wait for me?" she asked.

"Wait for you?"

"We behave until we've caught the killer," the police officer proposed. "And then we can be together properly."

Joey nodded but didn't look happy.

"Hopefully it won't be long," Charlie said, trying to sound cheerfully. "I mean, we have to catch him soon!"

Joey nodded. She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you," she said sadly.

"I'll be right here still," Charlie said.

"I know," Joey said. "I just… when you hold me, you make me feel so… safe. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before. I thought Martha made me feel that way but compared to you…"

She shook her head.

"I like being in your arms," she said. "I'm going to miss you."

Charlie chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"I guess a hug doesn't have to be a romantic thing…" she ventured. "I can't sleep in here with you again like I did last night but I could… I don't know… hug you sometimes or…"

Joey didn't respond. Charlie shifted to hold her, going back on almost everything she had said about keeping her distance. They remained in the same position for most of the afternoon.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey comes face to face with the killer…<em>


	40. Chapter 40

_Sorry this is a bit late. I had a wedding to go to so didn't have time in the morning and then I had to go home poorly so I've only started recovering now. I hope you like it. We've still got a way to go with this one. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Forty**

Having fallen asleep together, Joey and Charlie were both startled when Joey's mobile phone sprung to life. Sitting up quickly, Joey rubbed her eyes and regained her sensibilities before answering the phone.

"Hello?"

"You sound sleepy," said a voice on the other end of the line.

"Dave?" she said, feeling a little awkward.

Charlie studied her curiously as she took the call from someone.

"I'm uh…" Joey said.

She glanced back at Charlie, losing herself in her eyes for a moment.

"I'm retired now," she said.

"Retired?" Dave asked, his voice full of disappointment.

"Yeah," Joey said. "I'm sorry."

"So, I won't get to see you again?" he asked. "I thought we had a regular date. I thought…"

"I'm sorry," Joey repeated. "It's just… things have changed."

"Don't you like me anymore?" he asked.

"Of course I do," Joey assured him, still very aware of Charlie listening in. "You know you've always been my favourite. I just… I have an opportunity to change my life and I've got to take it."

Charlie lay back against the pillows as Joey finished her call.

"Who was that?" she asked curiously as Joey settled back down beside her.

"He's a regular client of mine," she explained a little anxiously.

"Your favourite client, I gather," Charlie remarked with raised eyebrows.

"He's this guy called Dave," Joey said. "He's about forty and absolutely hideous. But he's so sweet, Charlie. I've been… seeing him for years. Once a month, as soon as he gets paid, he takes me out. I get dinner and a movie or sometimes he even takes me to the theatre. And we stay at a hotel and… I mean, it's gross but… but he's nice company. I think he sees me as some sort of girlfriend. He's never been with anyone else in his life. I feel kind of bad for him…"

"You don't want to…?" Charlie worried.

"No!" Joey said quickly. "No! I'm happy to walk away. I just… he's a nice man. He's the nicest of anyone I've ever encountered like that before. Honestly, I mean, I hate sleeping with him and stuff but he always treated me like a Princess."

Charlie nodded compassionately and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sure he'll understand," she said.

"Maybe I could refer him to one of the other girls," Joey said thoughtfully. "But anyway, that's not important now."

She immediately snuggled up to Charlie again.

* * *

><p>That night, in a stab safety vest and wearing a wire, Joey walked the dark streets of Yabbie Creek. There had been a distinct lack of action since they had begun the police operation but she was still as nervous as she had been at the start. She knew that any night could be the night when she would come face to face with the man who had killed her best friend, not to mention countless others. She trusted Charlie implicitly but she couldn't let go of the fear that the police wouldn't arrive in time to save her.<p>

"Are you okay?"

Charlie's voice sounded quietly but firmly in her ear.

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied, scanning the street.

She paused when she saw a dark figure lurking in the shadows. Even without seeing him properly, she knew exactly who it was. He moved slightly so that she could just about see his face without any of his features. He put his fingers to his lips and walked backwards into the dark.

"I think he's here," Joey said, moving off to follow him.

"Joey, wait," Charlie hissed. "We're not ready."

But Joey knew it was now or never. She continued walking.

* * *

><p>"Fuck!" Charlie said, pulling off her headset.<p>

She and Robertson had been positioned on a roof with full view of the street below. She watched as Joey approached the shadows, just out of view. Robertson was busily instructing the officers on the ground to charge in.

"Charlie!" he yelled.

But she was already hurrying down to the street.

* * *

><p>The killer caught Joey by surprise. She'd just stepped into the alley between two buildings when he grabbed hold of her and slammed her against the wall. She'd barely got a look at him before he'd stabbed her in the side, carefully aiming between the back and front of her vest. She made a weak, gasping noise as he ripped the blade back out and caught her by the throat. She stared at him, struggling to breathe and was struck by his cold, hard eyes.<p>

"You didn't think it was going to turn out differently this than this, did you?" he asked.

She continued to gasp but regained her senses and finally began to try and fight against him. He had the same face as the first man, the one who had killed her mother. And yet, he was also different. He stabbed her again.

"If you'd have just given yourself up at the start then all of this could have been avoided," he said. "Nobody else would have had to die apart from you and your whore of a mother."

He stabbed her again. She could feel the blood leaving her body as she sank against the wall, held firmly in place by his hand. Her head swam as she vaguely detected the sound of footsteps hurrying towards them.

"Do you have any last words for your girlfriend?" he asked. "I don't know what you were thinking there. Someone like you would only poison someone good. Just like your mother did. You both spent your lives destroying others."

Joey listened incoherently. Her eyes glazed over but opened quickly when he dropped her and she landed on the floor. A flurry of activity surrounded her. The killer ran away. The police ran towards him. A shot was fired and someone fell to the ground. Joey passed out.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey and the killer are both taken to hospital…<em>


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty One**

Joey woke up on the ground in a state of panic. Her heart pounded as she tried to figure out her surroundings. She relaxed just a little when she realised that Charlie was holding her hand.

"Charlie?" she managed.

The police officer gazed down at her and cupped her face.

"Everything's going to be okay," she promised. "The ambulance is on its way."

"Did you get him?" Joey asked.

"Yes," Charlie said. "We got him. Everything's okay now."

Joey tried to move but cried out in pain instead. Charlie calmed her, still holding her hand. Joey looked down and realised that her potential girlfriend was trying to stem the blood flow from where the man had stabbed her.

"I hurt," Joey said weakly.

"I bet!" Charlie almost laughed. "But it'll be fine. They'll stitch you up and everything will be fine."

Joey nodded and tried to smile. She winced instead and closed her eyes, willing the night to be over.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Charlie was pacing the hospital corridor. Joey was being treated in one room and the killer, a man she had identified as being called Hugo Austin, was in surgery. She had shot him in the shoulder and the team had arrested him swiftly. Charlie had been struck with a vague memory of running into him one morning in the Diner. The man who had been stalking the women of the night in the local area, was the older brother of one of Ruby's new school friends.<p>

"Sergeant, would you sit down, please?" Robertson asked patiently from where he was sitting on a row of chairs.

Charlie paused and obeyed.

"Do you think she's going to be alright?" she asked, her voice hollow.

"You really care about her, don't you?" the Detective asked.

"Yeah," Charlie said, sighing at the same time.

She wasn't prepared to admit exactly how much but she couldn't pretend to be unemotional either. She looked up sharply when the door to Joey's side room opened and Doctor Sid Walker, the father of one of Ruby's other school friends walked out.

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked, jumping up hurriedly.

"She's fine," Sid assured her. "We've stitched her up and she'll be fine. There will be some scarring but no lasting damage."

"Can I see her?" Charlie asked.

"Sure," Sid replied.

Charlie glanced back at Robertson, who nodded. She hurried into the room.

* * *

><p>Joey opened her eyes again when the door opened. She smiled weakly when she saw Charlie fly into the room and hurry to her side. Charlie held her hand and kissed the back of it, careful not to disturb her cannula.<p>

"How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly.

"Like I've been stabbed," Joey replied with a hint of humour in her voice.

Charlie squeezed her hand gently.

"I'm so sorry we didn't get there in time," she said.

"You did," Joey replied. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

Charlie nodded. She surprised both of them by bursting into tears.

"Hey," Joey said gently.

She reached out with her free hand and gently brushed Charlie's tears away with her thumb.

"It's all okay now," she said. "You saved the day. The murderer's been caught and everyone is safe. And you and I can be together and…"

She trailed off uncertainly.

"Can't we?" she checked.

Charlie nodded.

"Yes," she said. "We can. You're right. Everything _is _okay now."

Joey smiled. Charlie leant in and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"Have you arrested him?" Joey asked when they parted.

"Yes," Charlie said. "He's in surgery because I shot him in the shoulder."

"You shot him?"

Charlie nodded.

"I had no choice," she said quickly. "He was getting away."

"I'm not judging you," Joey grinned.

They kissed again.

"Who is he?" Joey wondered. "Do you know why…?"

"His name is Hugo Austin," Charlie explained. "So far, we have no idea of motive. But he's definitely not going anywhere. We'll get him and we'll get all the answers we need."

* * *

><p>It was the early hours of the morning and Charlie was still at the hospital with several other officers, including Detective Robertson. Ruby had phoned in a state of distress and informed her that the news was already out and her friend Xavier was in bits at his brother being responsible for all the local murders. Charlie had debated going home but Ruby had insisted she was fine staying at Leah's but looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.<p>

"I'm going to get some coffee," she told her superior, yawning.

"I think I'll come too," he said, also yawning.

It had been a very long day. Charlie had left Joey to sleep, promising to come back first thing in the morning. Currently, they were waiting for Hugo to wake up so they could interrogate the hell out of him.

"Avery?" Robertson called down the corridor.

Hugo's guard looked up from the chair outside his room.

"Will you be okay for a few minutes?" he asked.

"Sure," Avery replied, returning his attention to his book.

* * *

><p>Joey was sound asleep until she heard a door creaking. Immediately alert, she opened her eyes and tried to adjust to the dim light in the room.<p>

"Charlie?" she asked hopefully.

She froze when she realised that she was face to face with her would-be murderer again.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey gets some answers…<em>


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two**

Joey immediately fumbled for the panic button that would alert staff that she was in trouble. Hugo reached out and immediately snatched it away from her.

"I don't think so," he said.

"What do you want from me?" Joey demanded desperately.

"I want to kill you," Hugo replied.

"Why?" Joey snapped, sounding stronger. "What the fuck have I ever done to you?"

Hugo paused and surveyed her, small and fragile in her hospital bed. His left shoulder was bandaged and he held a knife in his right hand.

"Okay," he said reasonably. "I guess I have time to tell you why before I kill you."

Joey looked at the door, longing for someone to come in and save her. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one. For starters, they had given her a sleeping pill that was making her feel exceptionally groggy. He leant over her, his eyes boring into her hers.

"Do you really have no idea who I am?" he asked curiously.

"I know your name's Hugo," Joey replied. "Other than that, the only thing I know about you is that you're a fucking psycho."

He laughed and shook his head.

"If I'm a psycho, you are," he said.

Joey looked confused.

"We're family, Joey," he informed her. "You're my baby sister."

Joey just continued to stare at him.

"You see, about twenty seven years ago now, your whore of a mother slept with my father," Hugo explained. "Then, when she got lumbered with you, she got even more desperate. One day, she saw my Dad's photograph in the paper and realised that she could destroy him if she wanted to."

"I don't know who your father is…" Joey said.

"_Our _father was a politician," Hugo said. "He was rich and famous and your mother tried to blackmail him. She wanted money to stay quiet. She wanted to use his cash to snort stuff up her nose or inject herself or whatever the hell she was into."

Joey could feel her body trembling with both fear and anger.

"So my Dad shut her up," Hugo continued. "He killed a few girls while he tried to find her. Then he killed her and then he was supposed to kill you but you ran away."

He shook his head and tutted.

"Just think," he added. "If you'd have only given up the ghost then, then all of this could have been avoided."

He leant closer, making her skin crawl.

"All of this is your fault," he said.

"It's not," she said meekly. "You're the one who… you and your Dad…"

"_Our _Dad," he corrected again.

"You did this!" Joey said. "You didn't have to kill anybody!"

"We had to get rid of all evidence of you," Hugo told her. "If you'd just given up when he tried to silence you before, or when I did, then nobody else would have had to die."

"Well, you're a pretty shit murderer, I'll grant you that," Joey said bitterly.

He glared at her.

"You missed me how many times?" Joey demanded.

If she was going to die then she wanted to go down fighting.

"Once," Hugo said. "When you outran me."

"No," Joey said. "You killed so many girls when you were only after me. You drew all that attention to yourself because you're completely inept. You'd have thought you could have done your research…"

"I killed them on purpose," Hugo said evenly.

"Why?" Joey asked. "Are you that stupid? The cops have been crawling all over this place for weeks because you drew attention to yourself."

"I just wanted to make the game more interesting," Hugo replied.

He leant even closer.

"I made sure your friend knew it was your fault to," he said. "In case you wanted to know."

Joey felt sick. She was immediately unable to get the image of Martha's dead body out of her mind.

"So, are we done with the pleasantries?" Hugo asked. "I really don't want to run out of time to kill you."

Joey just stared at him.

"What?" he said. "No witty comeback? You usually have so much to say for yourself."

Joey swallowed, trying to figure out how he knew her so well.

"One of your cop friends is most obliging," Hugo said, as if reading her mind. "I've had regular updates on exactly how you're doing. And getting to bug that apartment they put you up in over the last few days has been great. Your _other _cop friend, by the way… Even if I didn't kill you, you know it won't last, don't you?"

Joey looked immediately stricken but still had no words. She just looked into his cold eyes, alive only with twisted venom.

"I know you, Joey," he said. "I know the depth of you. I know how disgusting and vile you are. I know that you're better off dead because your life means nothing. And I know that the only thing you'd achieve with that Charlie woman is to poison her. Right now, she misguidedly thinks she's going to bring you up into the light. But I know… and _you _know that the opposite's true. You're just going to drag her down into the gutter. Because that's where you belong."

Without warning, he raised both his hands in the air, bringing the knife down quickly. Joey didn't even move. She just closed her eyes and waited. She opened them back up when she heard a loud clattering noise. Hugo was on the ground and Charlie was on top of him, arresting him all over again and failing to take any sort of care over his shoulder. Once again, Charlie had saved her life.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey has more information for Charlie and makes a big decision about her future…<em>


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty Three**

Joey lay on her hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, tuning out the flurry of activity around her as best she could. Hugo had been arrested again and dragged off and out of the room.

"Joey?" Charlie asked worriedly, approaching her.

Joey didn't meet her gaze.

"Joey, I'm so sorry about this," the police officer tried.

"It's not your fault," Joey replied, still looking vacant.

Hugo's words continued to charge around in her brain. They hurt more than her physical injuries. Something inside her felt like it had broken tonight and she had no idea how to bounce back and heal herself this time.

"He beat up the officer guarding his room," Charlie explained.

Joey finally turned her head.

"Who?" she asked.

"Avery," Charlie replied.

"I don't think he beat him up," Joey ventured.

Charlie looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He told me he had one of your officers working for him," Joey explained, her voice still bland and void of emotion. "He said they kept him up to date with the case and bugged the apartment."

"You're sure?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded weakly.

"I think it was Avery," Joey said. "Aside from Angelo and Watson, he was the only one who came into the flat."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll be right back, okay?" she said.

Joey nodded once before returning to stare ahead of her.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, having put another guard in place to stop Hugo escaping, Robertson had taken Avery off to be interviewed and hopefully get to the bottom of Joey's claim. Carefully, Charlie let herself back into Joey's room. She paused when she saw that her potential girlfriend was lying in exactly the same position on the bed. Her eyes looked blank, as if she wasn't really there.<p>

"How are you doing?" the police officer asked kindly, approaching the bed and taking her hand.

She visibly deflated when Joey extracted her hand and turned away slightly, fixing her eyes on the wall and refusing to look at her.

"Joey?" Charlie tried.

"There are some things I need to say to you," Joey said, her voice emotionless.

Charlie chewed her lip and nodded worriedly.

"Firstly, your daughter is dating a Braxton," Joey said.

Charlie just stared at her.

"Excuse me?" she finally managed.

"Your daughter," Joey said. "Ruby. She's not going out with Casey Branson or whatever he's calling himself. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that she's dating Casey Braxton."

"One of the River Boys?" Charlie asked. "Braxton as in Darryl and Heath?"

Joey nodded, still not looking at her.

"He's Brax and Heath's younger brother," she said. "He's not really one of them and he's a good kid. But you should still know who he really is. I'm positive that's why he's avoided meeting you so far."

"No," Charlie said weakly, shaking her head. "Ruby wouldn't lie to me like that."

"She probably doesn't know either," Joey said evenly. "But you need to make sure."

"Okay," Charlie nodded, as if she needed yet more things to sort out.

"Secondly, Hugo's my half brother," Joey explained. "He told me before he tried to kill me for what, the third time? Fourth? It was his Dad committing the murders first. He's the one who killed my Mum. It was because he was famous or something and she tried to blackmail him because he slept with her and got her pregnant with me. He's dead now and Hugo tried to complete his mission or whatever."

She paused for just a moment, still not meeting Charlie's gaze.

"That's why he did it. He meant to set traps and kill every girl, especially Martha. He'll also be just about ready to expose you and I when he gets interviewed so you'll have to come up with some sort of story."

Charlie tried and again failed to catch hold of her hand but she ploughed on regardless.

"Well, I'll just tell the truth," she said. "That we had feelings for each other but we waited and now… now that the case is resolved, we're going to be together. You know, like we planned."

Joey closed her eyes and shook her head. Hugo's words continued to charge through her brain.

"No," she said. "We're not."

"I don't understand…"

"We're not going to be together, Charlie," Joey said. "We just got carried away."

"No…"

"We did," Joey insisted. "You and I worked great in a pretend situation but this is the real world now. You're a cop and I'm a hooker. We're not compatible."

"But… I love you."

"Don't," Joey said firmly. "I don't love you. I'm not even capable of love."

"Of course you are!" Charlie said desperately.

She tried to reach out to her but Joey just jerked away.

"I'm not," she said firmly. "So I need you to go now and leave me alone. I'll do my interviews with other officers or whatever but I don't want to see you again."

Charlie didn't even bother to wipe her tears away. Suddenly, Joey was unrecognisable. Or worse, she was the person she had first met – aloof and cold with an apparent heart of stone.

"Joey," she tried. "I don't understand what's happened. Please, would you just look at me?"

"Would you look after Bear Cat for me?" Joey asked, still refusing to engage properly with her.

"What?"

"Would you look after Bear Cat for me?" Joey repeated. "I don't know what I'm going to be doing or where I'll be living after I get out of here. I don't want to put him through that. He's never had a stable home and he needs one now."

"So do you," Charlie said quietly.

"It's too late for me," Joey replied.

Finally, she faced her, briefly searching her eyes.

"Will you look after him?" she asked.

"Yes," Charlie said, her voice barely a whisper. "You could give me a call when you're settled and I could bring him to you…"

"No," Joey said. "Keep him. He deserves better than me."

Charlie moved forward again, trying to keep her gaze.

"Joey, please tell me what's going on," she begged.

"I'm breaking up with you," Joey said firmly, the same dead tone in her voice.

"But why?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Joey asked coldly. "I don't love you and I don't want to be with you. Accept it and move on. I have."

Wiping her eyes, Charlie gave Joey one more, lingering look before she finally turned away.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey is released from hospital while Ruby tries to help Charlie through her heartbreak…<em>


	44. Chapter 44

_I won't be posting 'To Win You Back' today as I am starting another story but you'll get that next time. I may or may not update over the next couple of days. Tomorrow would have been my Dad's birthday, which is obviously a difficult time of year and I'm pretty busy on Saturday. But I will definitely be back with you on Sunday. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Forty Four**

A couple of days later, Joey was half relieved and half terrified of being released from the hospital. They had stitched up her injuries and given her pain medication to take while they continued to heal. Robertson had come in and taken her statement and, as requested, she had seen nothing of Charlie.

She hated herself for the way she had spoken to her and for pushing her away but with Hugo's words echoing in her mind, she firmly believed that she was doing the right thing. She might have had to lie to get rid of her but she thought it was for Charlie's own good. The truth was that she had fallen deeply and desperately in love with the pretty police officer but she'd wanted to set her free. Charlie deserved much better than anything Joey could give. If nothing else, Hugo had taught her not to be so selfish and to let her go.

Unfortunately, none of that solved her current predicament. She was homeless and she'd burned all her bridges with Brax. There was no way that he would take her back in now, especially if what she had heard on the grapevine was true. Apparently there had been a huge police raid at the brothel. They'd arrested everyone on ground of soliciting, 'managing prostitutes' and dealing drugs.

She wondered if Charlie had had anything to do with it and she hoped that all of the River Boys would be sent down. Even the people she liked, such as Heath, were guilty of a lot of bad things. She wondered if she should have been arrested herself. She might not have dealt in drugs or theft or anything of the dodgy activities her former associates had been engaged with, but prostitution was still a crime and it was one she had been committing for half her life.

Out on the street, Joey took a moment to breathe in the fresh air, only to wince over her cracked ribs. Sighing heavily, she walked off the hospital grounds with no real destination in mind. After half an hour, she found herself close to her old stomping ground. Right at that moment, her stomach grumbled. Automatically, she headed over to the café she and Martha had frequented during their time together.

* * *

><p>The café was shut but she saw Miles, the owner bustling around inside so she knocked anyway. The curly haired man looked up and smiled, hurrying over to open the door.<p>

"Joey!" he greeted warmly.

"Hey, Miles," she replied a little sheepishly. "I know you're not open but is there any chance…?"

"Come in, come in," Miles said, standing back so she could enter the building. "Cup of tea?"

"You're a diamond," Joey said, sinking into a booth.

Miles moved behind the counter and put the kettle on.

"You don't look good, Jo," he said.

"Thanks!" Joey remarked.

He approached with tea and plopped a newspaper down in front of her. The headline read 'Local Prostitute Helps Police Catch Serial Killer'. Joey groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Great," she muttered.

"What happened?" Miles asked.

"It's a long story."

He nodded thoughtfully and stood again with the intention of cooking her some breakfast. While the sausages and bacon were on the grill, he returned to the table with another newspaper. This time, the headline announced the destruction of the River Boys enterprise. Charlie's picture was on the front page. Apparently she had led the raid on the brothel and dragged everyone into custody. Joey felt a twinge of sadness as she touched Charlie's picture.

* * *

><p>In Summer Bay, the next town over, Charlie was indulging in some time off work. It had been an exhausting few weeks and she had clocked up a hell of a lot of overtime. Angelo and Watson were still suspended, pending an investigation into their conduct and she hoped she wouldn't have to face either of them again. She had gathered together all of Joey's things from the safe house but, having to respect her wishes, she had given them to Robertson to hand over.<p>

Ruby was broken hearted at discovering her boyfriend had lied to her about who he really was and so far, she was refusing to take his calls. Charlie had agreed to give her the day off school so they could spend time together and get away from all the mess they had been caught up in.

On the beach, mother and daughter had returned to their towels after a nice swim. Beside Charlie, Ruby sighed heavily and closed her eyes against the glare of the sun.

"I just can't stop thinking about it all," she admitted. "And not just Casey. I mean, I hate him for lying to me but I can't get my head around the idea that he would consider people like that Brax guy to be family."

"You can't help who your brothers are, I guess," Charlie conceded unhappily.

"But how could he have had anything to do with them?" Ruby wondered. "How could he have let those things happen? You said he was even there when you raided the place."

Charlie nodded and sighed. Casey had indeed been at the brothel and she had indeed arrested him but let him go on the grounds that he was a minor who hadn't had any actual dealing with any of the crimes his brothers had been committing.

"He grew up with it, Ruby," she said. "He probably never knew any different. His Dad ran that hell hole before his brother did. What could he have done?"

"Are you defending him?" Ruby asked, sounding part way between hurt and anger.

"No," Charlie assured her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "There's no excuse for the way he lied to you and I'm relieved that you broke up with him. I don't want you having anything to do with people like that. But I do think Casey is probably the least guilty of the lot."

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, focussing on the sound of the waves for a moment.

"What are you going to do about Joey, Mum?" Ruby asked.

Her voice cut through the tranquillity of the day and pierced Charlie's heart.

"What can I do?" she asked helplessly. "Joey made her feelings clear."

"But I don't understand," Ruby protested. "You had such strong feelings for each other…"

"That's what I thought too," Charlie said. "And I did have strong feelings for her. I do. Right now, I feel like I always will. But she doesn't like me. She probably never did. She was probably just using me from the start."

Ruby sighed. She wanted to persuade her mother otherwise but it felt futile. How would it help to think that Joey really had loved her before she'd walked out?

"At least some good things have happened, I guess," she said.

Charlie turned to face her.

"Like what?" she asked.

"We have Bear Cat," Ruby grinned. "And you ditched Angelo."

Charlie chuckled and nodded.

"And you started to deal with your sexuality."

Charlie turned sharply back towards her.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you think you might be gay or bi, right?"

"Right…"

"Well, you never would have admitted that before."

Charlie sat up, puzzling and suspicious.

"You say that like you've always been suspicious or something," she accused with a trembling voice.

"Well…"

"Seriously?" Charlie squawked.

Ruby merely shrugged. Grumbling, Charlie settled back down on her towel.

"You knew all this time and you didn't think to tell _me_?" she complained.

"I thought _you _knew!" Ruby protested.

"Well, I didn't!" Charlie grumped back.

She turned back to face her daughter.

"_How _did you know?" she asked.

"Well, all my life you've never exactly had passion for a guy, have you?" Ruby said. "You've had a string unsuccessful relationships that you've practically celebrated being over."

"So?"

"So, the only person I ever saw you have a connection with was Joey," Ruby told her. "So that was my final clue."

Charlie sighed again and closed her eyes.

"None of that really helps me now though, does it?" she said. "She's gone. I'm never going to see her again.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey moves in with Miles while Charlie has an altercation with Watson…<em>


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty Five**

"I don't suppose you've got a floor or something I could sleep on?" Joey asked hopefully.

Miles sat across from her, having joined her for breakfast.

"I have a spare room in the back," he said. "I mean, it's nothing fancy but it has a couch."

"I don't need fancy," Joey assured him. "I just need shelter. If that's okay."

"It's fine," Miles said. "I just wish I could do more for you."

"You're doing enough," Joey said.

"I'd offer you a job if I could," Miles explained. "But this place barely breaks even. I'd be working at a deficit if I had to pay wages out."

"That's fine," Joey said. "Although, I'd be happy to work for free if you needed the help."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that," Miles said.

"Call it a thank you for all your help," Joey said. "Although I'm happy to pay you housekeeping and stuff. I've got a lot of savings."

"I just have one rule, Joey," Miles ventured.

Joey nodded, waiting for him, although she suspected that she knew what it was.

"I don't mind what you do when you're out and about but I really don't want it in my home," Miles said. "Please don't bring anyone back here."

"It wouldn't even cross my mind," Joey promised. "I'd never disrespect you like that, Miles. And anyway… I was thinking of getting out of that particular business."

Miles looked surprised.

"You are?" he said.

Joey nodded and sighed, fighting with images of Charlie.

"For a while there, I really thought I could change my life," she said.

"And now?"

"Now I don't have the first clue where to start."

* * *

><p>Charlie headed to the Surf Club, unable to lift her dark mood. Casey had managed to persuade Ruby to talk to him so Charlie had left them to it, on the promise that Ruby would come and find her when she was done. Charlie wasn't entirely sure if she wanted Ruby to give her boyfriend another chance or not. On the one hand, it was clear that her daughter had genuine feelings for him and if he didn't care, he wouldn't have made such an effort to win her back. On the other hand, regardless of his individual behaviour, he was still connected to the now disbanded River Boys. And that made him dangerous.<p>

"Hello, love," Alf greeted when she plonked herself on a stool in front of the bar.

"Hi, Alf," Charlie replied with as much enthusiasm as she could manage.

"How are you? I don't see you around here all that much these days," he said when he had taken her order of a mango and apple smoothie.

It was unfortunately too early for him to be serving booze. She could really do with a white wine right about now.

"Yeah, I'm okay," the police officer sighed.

"That wasn't very convincing," he remarked, handing her drink over and accepting her cash.

"To be honest, I really don't know where to start," Charlie admitted. "A few weeks ago, everything was so simple and now…"

"Angelo's been in here every night drowning his sorrows for weeks," Alf revealed. "He said you'd split up and he was in trouble at work for unprofessional behaviour."

Charlie snorted.

"That's a very polite term for what he's done," she said.

Alf leant on the bar a little awkwardly.

"He told me he'd cheated on you," he said.

Charlie nodded. Part of her wanted to reveal all the details and show Alf exactly who Angelo was. But she felt too loyal to Joey. She didn't want the poor woman to be reduced to being just a prostitute. She didn't want her to be subject to scandal and criticism. All she really wanted was to be able to call Joey her own and to show her off to the world as the wonderful person she was.

"He did," she confirmed. "And he hurt the person he cheated with too."

Alf looked alarmed.

"Nobody needs to know the details, I guess," Charlie said sadly. "But if he's painting himself as the victim then don't believe him. Angelo Rosetta is a very bad man."

* * *

><p>Five days later, Joey found herself back in her usual bar. She smiled when she saw Aden serving drinks to customers. It was pretty early so the venue wasn't as packed as normal. Joey made her way over to her friend and ordered a lemonade.<p>

"The wanderer returns!" the young man remarked.

Joey grinned and settled onto a stool.

"And I hear you're the hero of the hour too," Aden said, placing her drink in front of her and refusing payment.

Instead, he dug the cash out of his own pocket and put it in the till.

"I'm hardly a hero," Joey said modestly.

Aden grinned and leant against the bar.

"You helped catch a serial killer, Joey," he said. "What's not to be admired about that?"

Joey shrugged and sipped her drink.

"To be honest, I think I should have just let him finish me off," she admitted.

Aden looked horrified.

"Don't say that!" he begged. "Joey…"

Joey shrugged and shook her head.

"I'm just being melodramatic," she said. "Don't worry about me."

"What's with the frown anyway?" Aden wanted to know. "Shouldn't you be happy now?"

"I lost my best friend, my job, my home and the love of my life all in the space of a few weeks," Joey told him.

Aden looked even more horrified.

"Okay, you have some explaining to do, young lady," he said.

* * *

><p>"Charlie?"<p>

The police officer turned at the sound of such an urgent voice. For a second, she hoped it might be Joey. Her heart sank when she realised it was Watson.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

It had been a long day at work, she was tired and she wanted to go home.

"I need you to help me, Charlie," the Constable begged, following her hurriedly to her car.

"I don't want anything to do with you," Charlie said.

She unlocked her door and climbed in but Watson prevented her from shutting the door.

"What happened with Joey was a mistake that I deeply regret," Watson insisted. "And I don't think you'd be so bent out of shape about it if you weren't in love with her yourself."

Charlie paused.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"If you take back your statement then I won't tell anyone about you kissing her and whatever else you got up to that week," Watson said.

"I have nothing to hide," Charlie informed her.

"Really?" Watson remarked.

"Really," Charlie confirmed, yanking the door shut.

She heard Watson shouting her name as she drove off.

* * *

><p>"Do you really think I can do it?" Joey asked uncertainly.<p>

Despite the odd interruption from customers wanting drinks, she had been given the time and the space to pour her whole heart out to Aden. Until now, she would never have said they were friends exactly but she was grateful for his support and had always thought he was a good man. In her experience, that was a rarity.

"I know you can," Aden said. "If that's what you want."

"But what about all the things that man said to me?" Joey asked. "About how I was the scum of the earth and my life would only poison Charlie's and…"

"You're really taking advice from a serial killer?" Aden asked incredulously.

"A serial killer I'm related to," Joey reminded him. "Our father was evil and as much as I loved her, my Mum wasn't that much better. How could something good come from that? Surely I'm…"

She trailed off and Aden shook his head.

"My whole family was pretty much a waste of space," he said. "I didn't know my Mum, my Dad was an alcoholic, my granddad was a child abuser and my brother buggered off and left me to fend for myself the first moment he could. But I like to think I'm a good man."

"You are," Joey assured him.

"So if I can come from what I have and still be good then why can't you?"

"Because you haven't lived the life that I have," Joey said. "You haven't done the things I've done."

"Wherever you've been and whatever you've done, it obviously doesn't matter to this Charlie chick," Aden said. "So if you love her then I don't think you should wait another minute. I probably wasn't good enough for Belle but I loved her so much. And even if I'd known at the start that I was going to lose her like that, I would have done everything the same. Love is rarer than people think, Joey. If what you've got with this woman is real then you should do whatever it takes to keep it."

Joey gazed at him, captivated by his words.

"I have to try, don't I?" she realised. "I have to fight for her."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Angelo hassles Charlie while Joey goes job hunting…<em>


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty Six**

"Okay, how do I look?" Joey asked anxiously.

Standing in the middle of the closed café, she did a little twirl and Miles nodded his approval. It had been a week and Joey had been diligently volunteering at the café. She had also gone out and bought a suit and got her hair done. She had spent as little money as possible in a bid to try and save up for the deposit on an apartment. And today, she was going out to get a proper job. Aden had tried to get her a job at the bar but with his boss knowing exactly who she was, he had turned her down. Now, she was ready to apply for anything and everything. She had to prove herself to Charlie and she had to try and win her back.

* * *

><p>Charlie sat in front of Robertson, trying not to look as intimidated as she felt.<p>

"Well, as long as nothing happened between you when you were working on the case," the Detective said, "then there's nothing to answer for. I have to say I'm surprised that you think constable Watson is planning on making allegations against you."

"She's angry with me for getting her suspended," Charlie explained. "That's why I thought the right thing to do was come to you first and explain what happened. I doubt Angelo and Avery will be far behind if they can, as their both in trouble."

Robertson nodded thoughtfully.

"So, she kissed you when you went to interview her, taking you by surprise?" he ventured. "And over the course of the investigation, you fell in love with each other and although you hugged and kissed from time to time, nothing else happened between you?"

"That's right," Charlie said.

"But you're in a relationship now?" he asked.

"No," Charlie said. "She finished things before they had a chance to start."

"Well, thank you for being honest, Charlie," Robertson said. "Although, in future, I'd advise that kissing is as inappropriate as anything more sexual. Use your discretion a little better from now on, please."

"I will," Charlie promised.

At this point in time, she never wanted to even attempt a relationship again. She felt like that part of her life was over now.

* * *

><p>By noon, Joey was exhausted. She had got a few application forms from various shops and cafes but trying to get past the jumped up employees who wanted to analyse her previous experience before she'd even applied had annoyed her no end. She supposed they wouldn't have bugged her that much if she actually had something to show for her life but a couple of weeks volunteering for Miles really didn't add up to much.<p>

Sighing, she pondered stopping for a coffee break. Heading into a café, she spotted a sign in the window advertising staff. _Great_, she thought_, I can kill two birds with one stone_. The phrase had always puzzled her somewhat. She didn't understand why anyone would want to kill _one _bird, let alone two.

"Can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked, startling her out of her musings.

"Uh… a latte, please," she said politely. "And also, I was wondering about the sign in your window, advertising for a waitress?

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man said. "I meant to take that down. We just hired someone this morning."

Joey sighed, trying not to let her suspicions show. It seemed awfully convenient that they happened to have hired someone. _Can he tell what I am? Does he know just by looking at me?_

"I'm really sorry," the man said. "But um… do you know Summer Bay?"

Charlie immediately flashed into her mind.

"Sort of," she said awkwardly.

"There's a great Diner down there," the man explained, grabbing a piece of paper. "It's run by a great woman called Leah Patterson-Baker. I have no idea if they're hiring right now but I know they're good employers. It's worth an ask."

He scribbled Leah's name and the Diner address on the paper and handed it over.

"Thanks," Joey said gratefully.

She turned to leave.

"What about your latte?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it!" Joey called back.

She'd missed the boat by an hour or so this morning. There was no way she was going to waste any more time by taking rest breaks.

* * *

><p>Charlie sat on the beach, gazing out onto the horizon. She was surprised when a shadow fell over her. Looking up quickly, she was unhappy to see Angelo hovering.<p>

"Can I sit down?" he asked.

"I'd rather you didn't," she replied curtly.

He sat down anyway. Charlie merely rolled her eyes.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Peachy," she said. "You?"

"I miss you," he said.

She finally turned to look at him, surprised to see how earnest he seemed.

"It's a shame you didn't bank on that before," she told him.

Angelo sighed and gazed into her eyes.

"Charlie, please?" he begged. "Please can you hear me out?"

* * *

><p>"I'm really sorry," Leah said. "But we've literally just hired a new girl."<p>

Joey forced herself to keep smiling and not silently accuse the woman of judging her. Her CV was far from impressive and she was only too aware of that fact.

"Never mind," she said. "Thank you anyway."

"I'm more than happy to keep your resume though," Leah added. "In case we need to hire someone else at some point."

Joey nodded eagerly, thanking her and handing over the small document Miles had helped her make. Leah scanned it. Joey's heart sank. But Leah smiled anyway.

"Listen, why don't you try the Surf Club next door?" she suggested. "Alf Stewart is always taking new people on and he's quite well known to take um… less experienced people on board. It might be worth a shot."

Joey nodded and thanked her again, disappearing back out the door.

* * *

><p>"Angelo, there's nothing you can say that could ever make things right," Charlie said. "It's too late."<p>

"How can it be too late?" Angelo asked rather desperately. "We've built our life together. We love each other."

"No," Charlie said sadly. "I don't love you."

"But you did!"

"I didn't," Charlie corrected. "I wanted to and I tried but I was never in love with you like I was supposed to be. I've never been _in love _with anyone."

Angelo sighed and rubbed his temples.

"And even if I _had _loved you, Angelo," Charlie continued. "How could I still feel that way after what you did?"

"People get over infidelity all the time," he replied. "It was only three times, Charlie and they were the product of how things were with us. If we could fix things between us…"

"You think it's about cheating on me?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"What else would it be?" he asked.

Charlie shook her head in sheer disbelief.

"You abused that poor girl," she told him, looking back out to sea.

"I didn't!" Angelo said. "Charlie, she was just a hooker. She didn't do anything she hasn't done a thousand times. Why are you so obsessed with her?"

* * *

><p>Joey sat down in front of the bar and ordered a soft drink. An older man with a kind face served her. Too deflated, she didn't even bother to ask about a job. She didn't think she could take another rejection.<p>

"You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders," the man remarked.

"I've been unsuccessfully job hunting all day," Joey explained, handing over her cash. "And I've finally given up."

"Nobody's hiring?" the man asked.

"Nobody's hiring me," Joey corrected.

"And what's wrong with you?" he enquired. "You seem like a nice, well mannered girl to me."

"I have no education and no relevant experience aside from a fortnight helping out in a café," Joey said unhappily. "And at twenty six, that's a pretty poor life to have lived."

The barman did look surprised. He eyed her with curiosity.

"What have you been doing all these years?"

Deciding it really didn't matter, Joey opted for honesty.

"I've been a prostitute since I was thirteen years old," she said bluntly.

The man looked utterly stunned.

"I had this stupid idea that I could change my life and be a good person," Joey continued. "I thought if I could get a job and somewhere to live and be normal then maybe the person I recently fell in love with might want to give me another chance. But…"

She shrugged.

"I guess it was a pipe dream," she sighed. "I really believed it for a minute there and I had so much hope but this is the real world. Of course I'm not employable. I'm not… anything."

She sipped her drink.

"So, you're not 'working' these days?" the man asked curiously.

"Not for weeks," Joey said. "I don't want to do that anymore. I didn't like it at the time but I had no other choice. Now I've got a reason to get out and start again and I've still blown it."

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Joey Collins," she replied.

He extended his hand. She shook it as he introduced himself as Alf Stewart.

"I was thinking of taking someone on part time," he said.

Joey didn't pick up on the fact that he could be offering her a job.

"Would you be interested?" he asked.

Joey turned around, convinced that he must be talking to someone else.

"Me?" she asked, turning back to face him.

"If you're interested," he replied.

"After what I just told you?" she said incredulously.

"I believe in giving people second chances," Alf explained. "And I'm guessing that if someone doesn't give you the chance to start again, you'll be heading back on the streets. I can't sit by and allow someone who so desperately wants to change her life, to let go of that dream."

Joey continued to stare at him.

"Now, it would just be a trial basis," Alf told her seriously. "And if I finding you 'moonlighting' then you're out of here. This isn't that kind of venue and I want it stay that way."

"Honestly, I would never do that," Joey promised.

"Good," Alf said. "Let's give it a week and see how we go. And I can direct you to the local caravan park, which is pretty reasonable rent wise if you're interested."

"You're like a guardian angel, Mr Stewart," Joey said seriously.

* * *

><p>Charlie had left Angelo unsatisfied. They had argued about Joey and while he still refused to accept that he had done anything wrong, she still believed he had. Eventually, he had stormed off, leaving her alone with her thoughts.<p>

Hauling herself up off the sand, Charlie walked back up the beach. She considered a drink in the Surf Club but decided she was hungry instead. She was just about to turn towards the Diner when she spotted a familiar figure in the distance. Her heart almost stopped as she came face to face with Joey Collins.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey finally get the chance to talk things through…<em>


	47. Chapter 47

_Did anyone in the UK see Lynne McGranger and Lisa Gormley on the British Soap Awards? They were presenting the best exit award and renamed it "the best sacked actor award". It amused me! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Forty Seven**

"Joey?" Charlie managed, her voice barely audible.

She watched, transfixed as the woman she loved approached a little shyly. She studied her intently. In a suit and with shorter hair than she'd had before, Joey looked every bit as stunning as she always had been.

"Hi, Charlie," Joey ventured quietly.

"What… what are you doing here?" Charlie asked.

"I've been looking for work," Joey said.

Charlie looked concerned.

"Proper work," Joey added quickly. "I uh… I just got a part time job in the Surf Club."

"You did?" Charlie asked, startled. "Why? I mean, well, when I last saw you…"

"Can we sit or something?" Joey asked anxiously.

Charlie nodded mutely and followed Joey down to the beach where they sat side by side on the sand. She waited patiently for Joey to speak.

"I'm really sorry for the things I said to you at the hospital, Charlie," Joey admitted, looking out at the horizon, not quite able to face her.

"Why did you say them?" Charlie asked.

"I was trying to do the right thing and let you go," Joey said.

"But why?" Charlie persisted. "I thought we were happy together."

"We were," Joey agreed. "But I didn't think we could maintain it."

"Joey, I'm still really confused," Charlie confessed.

The younger woman sighed and turned to face her. She took in her beautiful features and fell more deeply in love with her.

"You're an amazing woman, Charlie," she said earnestly. "You're beautiful and intelligent; you're funny and kind… You're going places. I mean, you're barely thirty and you're already a Sergeant and I doubt it'll be long before you're a Detective or something grand like that."

Charlie just stared at her, still not quite understanding what she meant.

"And look at me, Charlie," Joey sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"I am," Charlie replied.

"I'm…"

"You're incredible," Charlie cut in. "You're beautiful and funny and kind. You have the biggest heart. You put your life on the line to save other people and bring a killer to justice. You'd do anything to protect the people you love, people like Martha and your Mum."

"But I didn't…"

"You tried," Charlie insisted. "You tried your best and that's enough. Joey, I love you so much. All I want is to be with you."

"Still?" Joey asked incredulously.

Charlie nodded.

"I know that probably sounds pathetic but…"

"It's the best thing I've ever heard," Joey said.

She reached out tenderly and held Charlie's hand.

"That's why I'm here, Charlie," she told her. "I was hoping that if I could get a job and somewhere to live, if I could shape up and prove myself to you… that maybe, well… maybe you'd find it in your heart to take me back. Give me a second chance."

"I will," Charlie said.

"I mean, you're probably not interested," Joey continued, not hearing her. "I'm not exactly a good catch and even if you do still love me, that doesn't mean…"

She trailed off in realisation.

"You will?" she asked.

"Yes," Charlie said. "I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've dreamed of seeing you again… of hearing the words you just said."

Joey smiled, breathing a genuine sigh of relief. She squeezed Charlie's hand.

"I love you," she said sincerely. "And I really didn't mean it when I said I didn't. I hated myself for saying that to you, Charlie. It couldn't have been further from the truth."

Charlie smiled.

"I love you too," she said.

Leaning forward, she brushed her lips tenderly against Joey's. They kissed softly in the sunlight, shifting to wrap their arms around each other.

"I love you," Joey whispered again and again between kisses. "I love you."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Charlie and Joey were still on the beach, holding hands.<p>

"I still don't really understand what made you walk away," Charlie ventured.

Joey was struck by the pain in her voice.

"I didn't think I was good enough for you," she explained.

"But you'd said that before," Charlie pointed out. "And you were still happy to give things a go…"

Joey sighed and played with Charlie's fingers.

"Finding out that you're the daughter and the sister of two murderers will kind of change a girl's perspective on life," she said quietly.

"So it was Hugo?" Charlie asked. "What did he say to you?"

"Just that I was poison," Joey told her. "That my badness was going to infect your goodness and…"

She trailed off and shook her head.

"It just struck me," she said, turning to gaze into Charlie's eyes. "The last thing I'd ever want is to hurt you in any way."

"I know," Charlie said softly, moving to place a delicate kiss on Joey's cheek. "I know."

"Speaking of…" Joey ventured. "You do remember what I said about… sex and stuff?"

Charlie looked confused for a moment.

"That I wouldn't want to… you know."

She saw Charlie visibly deflate.

"I remember," she said almost inaudibly. "I guess I hoped that it might be different with us."

"It can't be," Joey said. "That would be the exact way to let my badness poison your goodness, Charlie. I couldn't do that to you."

Charlie chuckled. Joey was immediately offended.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she demanded, surprised by her own hostility.

"I'm not laughing at you," Charlie assured her. "I just think you're wrong."

Joey frowned and withdrew her hand, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

"You're not a bad person, Joey," Charlie persisted. "There's nothing to 'poison' me with."

"You don't know that," Joey replied, still unhappy.

"I do," Charlie told her.

"I don't want anything between us to be anything less than beautiful," Joey said.

Charlie reached for her hands again, holding onto both of them.

"Making love can be beautiful, Joey," she said.

Joey arched an eyebrow.

"Tell me of a time that you had sex and it was beautiful," she demanded.

"Okay, well, I haven't so far," Charlie admitted. "But I think it could happen with us."

Joey shook her head.

"I don't think it can," she said honestly. "Not with me."

"But…"

"They say that when you have sex with someone, you have sex with everyone they've ever been with," Joey said. "I don't want you to be contaminated by my past. You don't deserve that."

Charlie chewed her lip, not entirely sure how to respond.

"So, things would never be sexual between us?" she asked quietly.

"Would you hate me for it?" Joey asked.

"Of course not," Charlie promised.

"Would you still want to be with me?"

"Right now, I don't think anything could stop me wanting to be with you," the police officer replied sincerely.

Joey smiled and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"I don't think we're missing out," she said. "I mean, you said yourself that you've never really enjoyed it either."

Charlie nodded. She still thought that things would be different between them. She still expected that if they were to be intimate, both of them would experience that connection and that moment of euphoria and everyone else seemed to rave about. But she stayed quiet.

"I guess we'll never know," she said. "But I get to hold you and kiss you, right?"

"Of course," Joey said, pulling her into her arms.

They kissed for a long time.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey make a go of things…<em>


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty Eight**

It had only been a couple of days but Charlie was happier than she could ever have imagined being. Joey had already done two shifts at the Surf Club with Alf and he seemed pleased with her. She had also rented a caravan and was settled in the Bay. Charlie and Joey were so far inseparable and made sure they spent all their free time together. And although their relationship wasn't sexual, Joey hadn't spent a night in her new home yet. She was more than happy to sleep in Charlie's arms. As far as Joey was concerned, that was the safest place in the world.

The only downside was that Angelo and Watson had both been temporarily reinstated at work. Joey had refused to the press the issue, unfortunately leaving no case to answer. Mostly, she just wanted to get on with her life and start afresh with Charlie. She wanted to forget all the pain of the past and start again. She didn't want to drag her old life into her new one. Charlie hadn't been happy with the decision but she had reluctantly agreed to let it go.

Having finished her shift, Charlie headed over to the Surf Club. Joey would be finishing at the same time and Charlie was eager to see her. The plan was to go back to the flat and have a family meal with Ruby and then a DVD fest for the rest of the evening. Everyone was looking forward to it.

"Hey, sweetheart," Charlie greeted when she arrived at the bar.

Joey grinned and stepped out into the main room in order to hug her. She doubted she would ever stop getting excited at her girlfriend's mere presence.

"How was your day?" she asked, stepping back behind the bar.

"It was okay," Charlie said, although she couldn't help but pull a face. "Angelo and Watson were back on shift."

"How was it?" Joey asked worriedly, knowing how the Sergeant felt about them both.

"It was awkward," Charlie admitted. "But I held my tongue, even though I think it's completely immoral that they're even there. They should be facing criminal charges."

"I just want to forget about it," Joey said.

"I know," Charlie sighed. "And I respect your wishes."

She managed a smile. Joey beamed back at her, trying not to swoon too much.

"So, are we all set for tonight?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yep," Charlie said. "I have dinner ingredients in the fridge, ready to make. We have popcorn to microwave and a truckload of rom-coms."

"Not _Pretty Woman_?" Joey asked worriedly.

Charlie chuckled.

"Ruby was joking," she assured her.

"Okay," Joey said, breathing a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>That night, having had a delicious dinner, laughed until they cried during the DVDs and polished off far too much popcorn, everyone was ready to go to bed. Ruby hugged her mother and her mother's girlfriend goodnight and headed off to her room, leaving the couple alone together.<p>

"So… are you staying over again tonight?" Charlie asked.

"Am I crowding you?" Joey worried. "I can go back to the van if…"

Charlie interrupted her with a kiss that took her breath away. On the one hand, Joey wondered how she had ever gone so long without ever being kissed. But on the other, she was thrilled that she had waited for Charlie and that she would always be her one and only.

"So, I'm not crowding you?" she checked when they parted.

Charlie grinned.

"You're definitely not crowding me," she promised.

Taking her hand, Charlie led Joey to her bedroom and they shut the door, leaving Bear Cat to snooze in the lounge he had claimed as his own. Inside their room, Charlie and Joey kissed their way to the bed. Charlie lay back on the mattress, wrapping her arms around Joey's shoulders and pulling her closer. She couldn't help but long for her but she'd made a promise that she wouldn't apply pressure. At least on some level, she thought she could sort of understand Joey's misgivings about a sexual relationship. But at the same time, she hoped that one day in the not too distant future, she might change her mind.

"I love you," Joey murmured as she lost herself in Charlie's kisses.

Her heart raced as she ran her hands through Charlie's hair. She pressed her mouth urgently against Charlie's, smiling as she felt her wrap her arms around her.

"Mmm…" Charlie moaned. "I'm at risk of getting carried away here."

Joey pulled away, embarrassed and apologetic. Charlie watched her change quickly into her pyjamas and tuck herself into bed.

"What are you doing to me?" Charlie giggled, still lying flat out on the bed.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked worriedly.

Charlie stood and also got changed. She didn't care much for modesty and she had been aware every night so far that Joey had been watching her intently.

"I'm so confused," Charlie admitted, also slipping into bed.

"_You're _confused?" Joey said. "I feel like my head's about to explode."

"Why?"

"You tell first," Joey insisted.

Charlie sighed and clasped her hands together on top of the blankets, pondering how to answer.

"On the one hand, you think sex is disgusting and you don't want to ever do it again," she ventured. "And on the other, when you kiss me… it's…"

She exhaled, recalling exactly how it felt to be kissed by Joey.

"I guess we're confused on the same subject then," Joey said.

"We are?"

"On the one hand, I stand by what I said," Joey explained. "I convinced myself a long time ago that I was asexual but now…"

She too exhaled and turned on her side, reaching for Charlie's hand.

"Now what?" Charlie asked.

"Now…"

She couldn't find the words.

"Do you feel sexually attracted to me?" Charlie asked, deciding to get right to the point.

"Yes," Joey breathed. "When I'm with you, I want to… _be _with you."

"Then why don't we?"

"Because I don't want to contaminate you!" Joey exclaimed desperately.

"Do you have any STI's?" Charlie asked quickly.

Joey looked startled and shook her head.

"I've always been really good with that," she explained. "I've never had anything. I go for checks all the time because I couldn't live with myself if I did get something and pass it on, even if it was to the kind of person who would use a prostitute because some of them weren't that bad…"

"Joey, breathe," Charlie grinned.

Joey blushed and apologised.

"No," she said quietly.

"Then what could you possibly contaminate me with?" Charlie asked.

"Myself," Joey said glumly.

"But I love your 'self'," Charlie reminded her.

"No," Joey sighed. "You love the person I am now, not the person I used to be. I wanted to draw a line under the past and focus on the future. And I can't do that if I bring my body into the mix and…"

She sighed again and closed her eyes, opening up when Charlie kissed the tip of her nose.

"I couldn't be with you if you were still… in your old job," the police officer admitted. "But you shouldn't deny your past. Everyone's experiences lead them to the moment they're in. Right now, it's you and me. We're together. We love each other. I don't care what you've done or where you've come from Joey. I just care about you. Every part of you."

Joey gazed into her eyes, struck by the concept that Charlie could possibly love her so completely. She leant closer and kissed her tenderly.

"How about we never say never?" she suggested. "We can just carry on and see where it goes. See what feels right."

Charlie nodded and kissed her again.

"That sounds perfect to me," she said.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey has an altercation with John Palmer and Charlie has one with Angelo…<em>


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty Nine**

"You should _not _have this girl working behind your bar, Alf," John Palmer said firmly.

Joey eyed him from behind the bar, listening in on their conversation.

"And why not?" Alf demanded. "She's a good girl and a good worker."

John sneered a little before hissing that she was a prostitute.

"Ask him how he knows," Joey said, appearing behind her boss.

Alf looked startled as John looked embarrassed and guilty.

"Let he without sin cast the first stone and all that," the Summer Bay stalwart said, turning away from John and gesturing for Joey to continue serving drinks behind the bar.

Joey was relieved by his reaction. She knew she had fallen on her feet by having Alf as a boss.

* * *

><p>After work, Charlie headed straight over to the Surf Club to collect Joey, who was thrilled to be getting more and more hours with Alf as the weeks passed.<p>

"Hey, sweetheart," Charlie greeted warmly, stealing a quick kiss.

They hadn't 'come out' as a couple exactly but they weren't hiding anything either.

"How was your day?" the police officer asked, hopping up onto a stool, ready to wait for Joey to finish the last half an hour of her shift.

"It was fine," Joey said. "Mostly."

"Only mostly?"

"An old client came in and tried to convince Alf to sack me," Joey admitted glumly.

Charlie looked horrified.

"Who was he?" she asked. "Or she?"

"I don't know his name," Joey said. "I barely remember him, except that the whole thing was gross. He seemed to know Alf personally but fortunately he got ignored."

Charlie nodded. She reached out and squeezed her girlfriend's hand in commiseration. They were still tentatively settling into their relationship and their make out sessions were becoming increasingly passionate. They still hadn't gone any further but Charlie was hopeful. But she was also very aware that Joey's encounter with her past would halt them a little.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she felt Joey freeze and look anxiously at the door.

Charlie whirled around in her seat and locked eyes with Angelo. He hadn't been at the Surf Club for quite a while, ever since Alf had told him what he thought of him for cheating on Charlie, all the while playing the victim to anyone that cared to listen.

"I knew it," he snapped, looking angrily at their joined hands.

Joey tried to move away but her anxiety made her hold onto Charlie even tighter. Her grip intensified the more people turned around to look at them.

"So, this is why you got so pissed about what happened," Angelo declared, approaching them. "It was nothing to do with me cheating on you. It was because it was with _her_. I did her when you were waiting patiently for your turn. Watson was right."

"You can shut your mouth right now," Charlie warned quietly.

"Why?" he asked. "Are you ashamed? You should be! I mean honestly, Charlie, after all the shit you gave me. And now _you're _paying for it!"

"I'm not paying for anything!" Charlie snapped angrily.

Joey's heart sank when Charlie broke away from her, standing up and squaring up to her ex-boyfriend.

"Oh, she's reformed or something now, is she?" Angelo challenged.

"None of this has anything to do with you," Charlie hissed. "So why don't you piss off and leave us alone?"

"You _are _ashamed," Angelo said even more loudly.

He looked around the room, pleased to have everyone's attention.

"Charlie's a dyke now, apparently, everyone!" he bellowed. "And the lucky girl she's hooking up with is a prostitute! Classy or what?"

A hush of gossip rippled through the room. Joey wanted the ground to swallow her up. Hugo's words in the hospital echoed in her ears. Why would Charlie want to be with her now? The truth would charge round the whole Bay in a matter of minutes. Then Charlie would be too ashamed to even be seen with her. Then what was she meant to do? How was she meant to cope and start again? Once upon a time, she had been so capable and in control. But now that she had opened her heart to Charlie and let her in, she felt completely vulnerable to the world and everything in it.

"Joey is not a prostitute," Charlie said calmly.

Everyone stopped talking to listen.

"I'm not in the habit for either paying for it or forcing myself on people, unlike some people," Charlie continued calmly. "But Joey and I are in love and we are in a relationship. And I'm telling you now, Angelo… if you don't leave us alone, I'll make sure criminal charges are made against you for what you did."

Angelo opened his mouth to speak in the now very silent Surf Club but no sound came out.

"You disgust me," he eventually snarled.

"Likewise," Charlie replied.

He stared at her a moment longer, shot an evil glance in Joey's direction and then stormed out of the bar.

"What the flaming heck was that all about?" Alf asked, appearing behind Joey as if from nowhere and making her jump.

His employee sighed. Everyone started talking again. Charlie approached and caught hold of her hand.

"Just an altercation with Angelo," Charlie explained.

"Everyone knows where I've come from now," Joey said in a very small voice. "Are you going to fire me?"

"Why on earth would I do that?" Alf replied. "You're one of the best employees I've ever had, Joey. As far as I'm concerned, your job is here for as long as you want it, regardless of the gossip we might have to bat away."

* * *

><p>That night, Charlie and Joey curled up in bed together. They'd enjoyed an evening with Ruby, kissed and cuddled rather demurely for a little while and now their lights were off and they looked forward to sleep.<p>

"Thank you, Charlie," Joey said rather randomly.

Confused, Charlie rolled over and sought out Joey's silhouette in the dark.

"For what?" she asked.

"For not being ashamed of me," Joey replied.

Charlie smiled. She found her lips and kissed her.

"I couldn't be prouder," she assured her. "You're my girlfriend, I love you and I'm more than prepared to share that with anyone who cares to listen."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey realises that Alf is Martha's grandfather and Watson struggles to cope…<em>


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty**

Joey was struggling. The news of her sordid past was all round the Bay, thanks to Angelo and there was even an article about it in the paper. Apparently it was utterly scandalous that Alf had given her a bar job, knowing that she had previously been a lady of the night. She'd come into work that day, fully expecting to get sacked but fortunately, Alf was more patient and kind hearted than that. He had adamantly stated that unless she performed badly at work or gave him a reason to fire her, her job was safe.

The gossip was difficult and she wasn't sure how long she could take it. Angelo seemed to take pleasure in coming into the Surf Club and taunting her and she gathered he was being particularly difficult at work with Charlie.

"Is Alf Stewart around?" asked a dark haired woman with a pretty face.

She was older than Joey by a fair bit and she had a mischievous smile on her face. There was something oddly familiar about her that Joey just couldn't place.

"Um… he said he'd be back in about ten minutes," Joey said. "Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"Nah," the woman replied easily. "Just tell him that Roo is back in the Bay and she's going to rent a caravan."

Joey nodded, a little startled as the woman bustled out of the Surf Club as swiftly as she had arrived.

* * *

><p>Charlie was washing her hands in the police station bathroom. When she shut the water off, she was just about to leave when she heard the distinct sound of crying coming from one of the cubicles.<p>

"Hello?" she called worriedly.

She heard sniffing, like someone was trying to be quiet. Charlie approached the cubicle door and knocked.

"Hello?" she said again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said an unhappy, female voice.

"Watson?" Charlie realised.

The two women hadn't spoken civilly for a long time but Charlie couldn't help feeling compassionate. Once upon a time, they had been friends.

* * *

><p>"Roo's here?" Alf asked in shock when Joey relayed the message.<p>

"That's what she said," Joey said uncertainly. "Is that a good or a bad thing?"

She was struggling to read his expression. He leant against the bar, looking confused.

"I haven't seen her in a long time," he explained. "And I'm thrilled that she's back in the Bay but I'm shocked too."

Joey nodded, wondering who this woman was.

"She's my daughter," Alf explained.

"Oh, I see," Joey said brightly. "Well, it'll be nice to see her again, right?"

"I think so," Alf said.

Joey couldn't help but picture her mother. There was nothing she wouldn't give to see her again. She hoped that Alf and his daughter could learn to be grateful that they still had each other.

"You have a difficult relationship?" she ventured, hoping he didn't think she was trying to pry.

"Yeah," Alf sighed. "Once upon a time, we were really close but then Martha died and…"

He paused when he realised how pale Joey had turned.

"Joey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Who's Martha?" Joey enquired, her voice a little shaky.

* * *

><p>Charlie and Watson were sat on the bathroom floor, leaning against the wall beneath the window.<p>

"I'm so sorry for everything, Charlie," Watson said, still tearful. "I screwed up so badly and I'd do anything to take it back. I _should _have been fired. I should have lost all my credentials after what I did. But honestly, I didn't mean to force her. I hate myself for doing that. I was just lonely and she was so beautiful and naïve and…"

She trailed off in despair and wiped her eyes.

"I wish it hadn't happened either," Charlie admitted. "I could handle losing Angelo. I don't care one way or the other about what happens to him. But I miss you, Watson. I really do."

Her colleague looked up, hope evident in her eyes.

"Do you think I could ever make it up to you?" she asked. "That we could be friends again?"

Charlie sighed.

"I don't know," she said.

She couldn't make a commitment without talking to Joey first. Joey had been the one who'd been hurt. Charlie didn't feel right betraying her for the sake of friendship with a woman who had taken advantage, however unwittingly.

* * *

><p>"Martha was my wife," Alf said, bemused.<p>

Joey breathed a sigh of relief and managed to smile.

"Sorry," she said. "I just… I had a friend called Martha. She died a few weeks back."

Her face became sad again as she revealed that she had been murdered.

"And you were friends?" Alf asked curiously. "Was she… like you?"

"We worked the same job," Joey said. "And we were roommates. She was my best ever friend. I mean, she had a lot of problems – namely drugs – but she was so wonderful, Alf. She was such a good girl."

"I'm sorry to hear that you lost her," Alf sympathised.

He had experienced enough loss in his life to know how much it hurt.

"How did she end up… with you?" he asked, not wanting to offend.

"Well, like I said, she had a drug habit. She had a pretty rough home life. She was put into care when she was born because her Mum was just a teenager. And she had a rough ride with foster parents and stuff. By the time I met her, she said she had no family left."

"How… how old was she?" Alf asked, looking suddenly anxious.

"Um, she would have been twenty three," Joey replied. "Why?"

"When was her birthday?"

"6th September," Joey said, more confused than ever.

"Did she… did she ever know anything about her mother?"

"Not really," Joey said. "She was named after her grandmother who died or… something."

Joey fell silent as she realised the implications of what she had said.

"Do you think my Martha was your Martha?" she asked. "Your granddaughter or something?"

"The dates match," Alf said, his voice thick with emotion.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey's relationship continues to develop…<em>


	51. Chapter 51

_There are just three chapters left after this one. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifty One**

"Joey!" Charlie called when she arrived home on Thursday evening.

The couple had given up the pretence that Joey lived in the caravan and, with Ruby's permission, she had formally moved into the flat.

"I'm doing laundry!" Joey hollered from the kitchen.

Charlie walked down the long, central corridor of the apartment, smiling appreciatively when she saw her girlfriend bending down as she loaded the washing machine.

"Charlie?" Joey said, whipping her head round.

She snorted with laughter when she saw the way the police officer was leering at her. Standing up, Joey pulled Charlie into her arms and kissed her. Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey's waist, relieved that Joey had been amused and not horrified. She'd momentarily worried that perhaps the expression on her face would remind her of old clients or something awful like that, that would ruin their evening.

"I missed you," Joey said, kissing her again.

"I was only gone for eight hours," Charlie said.

"Eight hours too long!" Joey complained.

They kissed tenderly. Physically, things seemed to be developing between them. They hadn't made love but Joey had developed her explorations of Charlie's body and they both seemed to struggle to stop and not get too carried away.

"How are you fixed for tomorrow night?" Charlie asked when they parted.

"Well, my world pretty much revolves around you, so…" Joey replied.

"You're not working?" Charlie checked.

Joey had been working longer and longer hours at the Surf Club and had found that she had quite a talent for being a bar maid. She also got to spend a lot of time talking to Alf about Martha while she worked, which seemed to be nice for both of them.

"Nope," Joey confirmed. "Why?"

"I've been given tickets to some work ball type thing," Charlie explained, showing her the tickets as proof.

"A ball?" Joey wondered.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "I know it's lame but it was strongly indicated that I should go. If I'm looking to make Detective then I should start rubbing shoulders with the right people. That's what Robertson said anyway."

"Charlie, are you sure you want me to go?" Joey asked worriedly.

The police officer sighed and leant against the countertop.

"I know it'll be really boring," she said. "But if I _have _to go then I was hoping you'd come too. I mean, we'll eat, dance and mingle and then come home. I reckon two hours tops. What do you think?"

"But do you really want _me _to go?" Joey repeated.

"Oh, I don't think it matters that you're a girl," Charlie said dismissively. "There are all sorts of anti-discrimination laws and stuff now. It'll be fine."

Joey just stared at her, wondering why she didn't understand what she was saying.

"What?" Charlie asked, confused.

"There will be a lot of people there who'll know what I am," Joey said.

"What you used to be," Charlie corrected.

"Whatever," Joey sighed. "Do you really want to damage your chances by inviting me? They're not going to think much of you if…"

Charlie reached out and held both of Joey's hands.

"Joey, I love you," she said. "I've chosen to share my life with you. And I'm proud of what we have. I'm proud to be able to call you mine. Of course I want to take you to the ball. There's no other option, as far as I'm concerned."

She leant closer and kissed Joey tenderly on the mouth. Joey closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her, enjoying every sensation on offer. She smiled into the kiss, thinking about how much she loved Charlie. When they eventually parted, Joey was still trying to figure out how she could show her just how she felt. But words suddenly didn't seem enough.

"Let's go out for dinner tonight," she suggested.

Charlie looked startled but pleased.

"Yes," she agreed. "Let's."

* * *

><p>Sitting across from Charlie at a table in an Italian restaurant in town, Joey's head was full of jumbled thoughts. One minute, all she could think about was how much she loved her. The next, she considered her plan and whether it would work or not. What if she backed out at the last minute? Or what if Charlie decided she didn't want her after all? But then she thought about Charlie's genuine attitude. She hadn't once been ashamed of Joey. She'd never put her down or been embarrassed, not even when Angelo had told the world about her past. And it hadn't occurred to her that she should feel awkward about bringing her to a posh party. She smiled, swooning again over just how wonderful her girlfriend was.<p>

"You're in a very strange mood tonight," the police officer ventured. "What's up?"

"I just…"

Joey stopped, having no idea what to say.

"You just…?" Charlie nudged.

"Love you," Joey concluded. "I didn't know it was possible to feel this way about another human being. But I feel like I fall in love with you every single day."

She smiled shyly. Charlie beamed at her.

"I love you too," she said.

"I know," Joey said softly.

Charlie grinned. Joey blushed some more before stuttering to explain.

"I just meant… well, not in an arrogant way," she tried. "Just that, um… well, when you tell me you love me, I really believe it. I've never felt truly loved in my whole life. Even with Mum and Martha, I knew that deep down they'd always favour drugs over me. And obviously you love Ruby more and that's the way it should be. But it feels like… like even with all your love for Ruby, I'm not missing out. I have no idea _why _but I know that your feelings are something I can trust. Did any of that make sense?"

Charlie reached out and squeezed her hand.

"It did," she confirmed. "And my feelings for you _are _something you can trust."

Joey nodded, keeping hold of her.

"Charlie, what's so important to you about sex?" she asked.

Charlie drew away, a little embarrassed.

"Have I been pestering you or something?" she asked worriedly.

"No," Joey quickly assured her. "It's a genuine question. I was just wondering. What are the reasons you'd like to do it?"

Charlie took a long sip of her drink.

"Um… well, because I love you so much," she ventured. "I look at you and I'm just overwhelmed by how strongly I feel. And I want to express that but words aren't enough sometimes. I want to make love with you because I want to take the time and the care to make you happy. I want to be intimate with you, have there be nothing that separates us. It would be a spiritual and emotional thing as much as a physical thing."

Joey nodded thoughtfully.

"Plus you're very hot and I struggle to keep my hands off you," Charlie added with a naughty grin.

Joey laughed and held her hand again.

"I was feeling like that this afternoon," she admitted.

"What?" Charlie asked. "Hot?"

"Overwhelmed," Joey explained. "Like I wanted to show you just how I felt but that words wouldn't suffice."

Charlie nodded, trying not to look too elated.

"Making love is different to sex, isn't it?" Joey asked.

"So I've heard," Charlie replied. "But you're the only person I've ever been in love with so I don't know for sure."

Joey nodded.

"And it doesn't have to be gross or dirty," she continued. "I mean, I thought just making out would feel wrong, even if it isn't leading anywhere but I don't feel wrong when we're together."

Charlie failed not to look excited. Her smile took over her whole beautiful face.

"Do you think we could turn it into something beautiful?" Joey asked.

"I really think we could," Charlie replied.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey run into Watson and Angelo at the police ball…<em>


	52. Chapter 52

_Here is a random extra update for you. It is a thank you to those that read and review my chapters. I like to think that we have a nice community on here. Writers are on here because they love to write and express themselves and are committed to the characters of a particular show. But we do not lose sight of the fact that the characters and some of plots are not ours but belong to whatever programme we are writing in response to. And readers are here to enjoy those things and offer their own commitment. It's a nice, honest past time and it's so important that we all treat each other with respect. I shall get off my soap box now but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads, even if you don't review, but would never take advantage of a writer offering her imagination. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifty Two**

"I really won't be offended if you don't want to introduce me to all your posh friends," Joey said, scrutinising herself in the mirror.

She had put on her one and only suit, the one she'd used for interviews a few weeks before. Charlie stepped up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She kissed her shoulder and then her cheek, looking at their reflection.

"I want you to come," she said firmly. "That's why I invited you."

Joey smiled, also looking at their reflection. She was surprised to see just how happy she was these days. The joy Charlie brought to her life was evident in her face.

"But won't they look down on you if…?"

"I don't care what anyone thinks of me," Charlie assured her. "I'm proud to be able to call you my girlfriend and I always will be."

Joey couldn't help but smile. She leant back against Charlie's lean body, aware that she was only in her underwear, having not quite decided on an outfit yet. She closed her eyes and breathed in Charlie's scent. Her body tingled as she felt Charlie's fingertip stroke her tummy. She hoped that tonight would be the night that she could put away all her fears and be the kind of girlfriend that Charlie needed and deserved.

* * *

><p>In the taxi ride over to the party, Joey couldn't stop gazing at Charlie.<p>

"What?" the police officer asked a little self consciously. "Do I have something on my face?"

Joey leant in and kissed her.

"I just can't believe how beautiful you are," she whispered softly.

She kissed her again, thrilled when she heard Charlie moan.

"You know, we could always forget the ball and just go home for a party of our own," Charlie murmured.

Joey continued to kiss her, ignoring the looks in the mirror from the taxi driver.

"We should go to the ball," she said. "But we can still have our own party when we get back."

Charlie jolted in surprise, trying not to read too much into her girlfriend's words. She knew sex was an issue and she didn't want to push it.

"I think it's time to say goodbye to my anxieties," Joey ventured, catching hold of her hand.

"Joey, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do…" Charlie said.

"I know," Joey replied. "It's been a long road but I think I've finally figured out that that's true. What we share won't resemble anything like I've experienced before. It's a completely different thing. It's borne of love and respect and friendship. And I'm… I think I'm ready."

Resisting asking the cab driver to turn around completely, Charlie kissed her again and again.

* * *

><p>"Wow," Joey murmured when Charlie led her into the large, decorated room hosting the party.<p>

They were immediately approached by a waiter offering champagne and orange juice.

"Do you mind?" Charlie asked, her hand hovering over the champagne.

Joey grinned and took an orange juice.

"Just because I don't drink, it doesn't mean you don't have to," she assured her. "Although if you can resist throwing up and passing out and making me look after you, that would be good. I've had enough of taking care of people on substances!"

Charlie chuckled and assured her that she would behave.

"Not _too _much, I hope," Joey smirked.

Charlie blushed and was about to reply when they were approached by one of her seniors, welcoming them to the party.

* * *

><p>Angelo's mood darkened when he saw Charlie and Joey holding hands and milling through the crowds, chatting to people. He hadn't wanted to come to the party anyway. If he was going to further his career, he wanted to do it on merit, not through making connections with higher ranking officers. And everyone knew that that was exactly what these parties were about. Still, he doubted that Charlie was doing herself any favours by bringing a woman to the ball, let alone a woman who was a prostitute. Standing up, he decided that anyone who didn't know the truth about Joey, should. And it was his place to tell them.<p>

* * *

><p>Charlie and Joey bumped into Watson who looked immediately panicked. After the incident in the toilets the previous week, she had tentatively made up with her friend. But she had been hoping for a chance to make things right with Joey as well.<p>

"Hi," she managed.

"Hi," Joey replied, equally as awkwardly.

Charlie kept hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I was um… well, I was hoping I might see you," Watson ventured.

"Charlie said that you'd apologised to her," Joey said.

"And I wanted to apologise to you too," Watson said. "I really didn't mean for things to get so out of hand. I was just so lonely and I convinced myself that you wanted it too and… and I'm so sorry. I forced you and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Joey nodded and managed a smile.

"It's okay," she said. "I wish it hadn't happened but you're not the worst person I've ever encountered. And if Charlie believes in you then I'm not about to hold anything against you myself."

She extended her right hand. Watson shook it gratefully, thanking her over and over again.

"Well, isn't this nice?" said an unpleasant voice behind them.

All three women turned around to see Angelo marching towards them.

"Don't start, Angelo," Charlie warned darkly.

"What?" he replied innocently. "I'm not allowed to mingle with my peers? And their whore?"

Joey clenched her jaw. This was exactly what she had been nervous about when Charlie had invited her to the party.

"So, I see you've all made up, have you?" he continued. "Do I get to join in the big, group hug too?"

"No," Charlie said quickly.

"What's your problem with me, Charlie?" he asked, unfazed. "I mean, I'm the one that's lost out here. One minute I was in a happy relationship and the next my girlfriend had fallen in love with some chick. How's that fair?"

"You're not innocent in all of this," Watson put in. "Neither of us are. We should just be grateful that nobody's pressing charges."

Angelo snorted.

"I think I might mingle," he decided. "I have all sorts of interesting conversation to make with the big wigs."

Charlie broke away from Joey and stepped up very closely to Angelo.

"If you try and cause any more hassle for either of us, you will be sorry," she warned. "I will have you in jail for what you did and I won't stop until I succeed. So why don't you do the smart thing and just stay the hell away from all of us?"

Angelo paused, considering his options. His desire to humiliate Charlie and her new partner was strong. But he also knew that he was on dangerous ground. He had broken the law and Charlie was perfectly capable of pressing charges against him and making them stick. And judging by the look in her eyes, she was in no mood to be messed with.

"Fine," he said. "I'll stay out of your way if you stop parading your disgusting relationship in front of me. Have we got a deal?"

Charlie stepped back and caught hold of Joey's hand again.

"Sounds like a sensible plan to me," she said, still furious.

* * *

><p>The evening drew on and Joey was surprised to find herself having a nice time. She had made friends with Watson, stayed clear of Angelo and enjoyed chatting with various strangers, none of whom seemed to look down on her.<p>

"Could I interest you in a dance?" Charlie asked when a slow song came on.

Joey smiled shyly at her and accepted the lead onto the dance floor. _Love Only Hurts _by Blanche Dubois played as various people coupled up. Charlie and Joey held each other close, swaying to the music and gazing into each other's eyes.

"I never thought it was possible to be this happy," Joey admitted. "I don't think I even knew what real happiness was before I met you."

"I feel the same," Charlie said softly. "I feel like life before you was just pretend. I can't believe all the time I wasted trying to make other relationships work when I knew deep down that I wasn't happy. But I'm so happy now that we found each other. I'm so in love with you, Joey."

She smiled shyly, leaning in for a gentle kiss.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey bring the party home…<em>


	53. Chapter 53

_This is the second to last chapter so I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifty Three**

It was gone midnight before Charlie and Joey arrived home. While Joey locked up behind them, Charlie checked on Ruby, who was sound asleep in bed. She took Joey's hand and led her into the bedroom. They paused when they heard a loud but rather raspy meow. Looking down, they both chuckled as Bear Cat looked imploringly up at them.

"Okay, I think we're going to have to give him some fuss before we give each other… fuss," Joey giggled.

Charlie snorted and followed her into the lounge with the cat that had come to mean a lot to her already. They sat on the sofa together, holding hands like they had for much of the night. Bear Cat hopped into their laps, purring as they stroked him. He rolled over to offer them his belly. Charlie tickled him there while Joey fondled his ears.

"I think this has been the best night of my life," Joey said.

Charlie looked up at her and smiled.

"Really?" she said.

"Really," Joey confirmed. "I mean, you couldn't get better, could you? We had good food, nice drinks, pleasant company… We got all dressed up and danced together. It's hardly what I'm used to. And to be able to do all of that with the most wonderful woman on the planet... well, that was a dream come true."

Charlie smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips. They immediately got carried away until Bear Cat complained that they had stopped stroking him.

* * *

><p>A short while later, when Bear Cat had curled up on a chair and gone to sleep, Charlie and Joey headed to their bedroom. Kicking the door shut with her foot, Charlie drew Joey into her arms and kissed her. Joey nudged her carefully over to the bed where they promptly landed on the mattress, their lips never parting.<p>

Joey's heart was pounding as she lay atop Charlie, kissing her in a moment of deep intimacy that she had never really experienced before. If it wouldn't have made her laugh so much, she would have felt like she was losing her virginity again.

She pressed her lips more firmly against Charlie's and ran her hands through her hair. She looked shy as she let her hands slip down to Charlie's chest.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded.

"Are you?" she asked. "I mean, we don't have to just because _I'm _ready."

Charlie drew her closer and kissed her again, drawing away only to look into her eyes.

"I'm ready," she promised.

They kissed again and again, their breathing becoming more laboured.

Charlie reached out to ease Joey out of her suit jacket. It landed in a heap on the floor. Neither woman noticed. With suddenly trembling fingers, Charlie struggled with Joey's shirt buttons. She felt shy and nervous but also excited and eager. It was such a different situation to anything she had experienced before. She had never felt so strongly about another person as she felt about Joey.

Straddling Charlie's hips, Joey sat up a little and stripped herself out of her shirt. For the first time in her life, she felt conscious of her body. When people had been paying their way, she hadn't cared or felt a need to impress. But right now, Charlie finding her attractive felt like the most important thing in the world.

As if reading her mind, Charlie reached up and ran her fingers along Joey's well toned tummy.

"You're beautiful," she said, her hands continuing to wander.

Joey blushed a little and leant back down to kiss her. Her hair fell down around them as they lost themselves in the moment. Without bothering to pull away, Joey slipped down the straps of Charlie's pretty dress. She smiled as Charlie's chest heaved in anticipation.

Standing up, Joey pulled Charlie to her feet. She made short work of her dress and allowed the slinky material to fall to the floor. She removed her shoes and lay her back down on the mattress in her underwear. Charlie sat up again quickly, reaching out to undo Joey's trousers and let them drop to the floor. Joey kicked off her shoes and resumed her position on top of Charlie, eager to kiss her again.

"I hope you're not disappointed," Joey said, self conscious again.

"How could I ever be disappointed?" Charlie asked.

"I just… I want it to be like I've never been with anyone before," Joey ventured. "I don't want _us_ to have anything to do with my past. I want it to be new…"

Charlie reached up and stroked her hair.

"Stop panicking," she whispered. "Everything is going to be perfect."

Joey smiled nervously and kissed her.

"I hope so," she said.

Charlie carefully rolled them over so that Joey was on her back. She kissed her lips and neck, allowing her hand to cup her breast. It was nerve wracking and something she had never done with a girl before but she was excited. She hoped that this could be the start of something wonderful, perhaps a way of healing them both from their past experiences.

With trembling fingers, she slipped Joey's bra straps down, kissing her shoulders and the tops of her arms. She moved her lips to the top of her breasts, not covered by the bra. She kissed her just over her heart.

Joey closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations of Charlie's touch. She sat up a little to allow Charlie to reach round and unhook her bra. The look of jubilation on Charlie's face when she undid it so easily, made Joey giggle.

"Beginner's luck," Charlie grinned.

Joey nodded and allowed her to remove the garment, lying back on the bed and hoping that she wouldn't be disappointed. Charlie shifted to kiss her lips.

"You're even hotter than I dreamed," she remarked.

Joey opened her eyes and smirked.

"You dreamed of this?" she asked.

Charlie flushed and nodded.

"Even before I realised there was anything between us," she admitted.

"You might have occupied my thoughts just a little too," Joey replied.

They kissed again before Charlie shifted to pay attention to her body. She was nervous and afraid of getting something wrong in case it made Joey change her mind. But so far, things seemed to be going well. She gazed at her for a long moment before placing a gentle kiss between her breasts. She carefully paid attention to one and then the other and smiled as she heard Joey moan.

Lying on the bed, Joey could hardly believe how much she was enjoying herself. Even though the moment was always going to be special because it was with Charlie, Joey had been terrified of not enjoying it and disappointing or upsetting Charlie. But her fears were quickly evaporating and she was more than happy just to give herself over to everything her girlfriend was offering.

Charlie kissed her way down Joey's body until she reached the top of her underwear. She felt Joey suck in her breath in anticipation. Kissing her once over the fabric of her last remaining item of clothing, she moved back up her body, to her lips.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"It's amazing," Joey breathed. "I never knew I could feel like this."

Charlie's smile was infectious. They kissed several times while Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie and unhooked her bra. She was nervous of using past experiences and skills with her. She wanted everything to be fresh and pure.

Moving Charlie onto her back, Joey took control, lying on her side and draping her leg over her girlfriend's hips. She flung Charlie's bra across the room and kissed her way from her mouth down to her breasts. She could hardly believe how beautiful she was.

Charlie closed her eyes and moaned as she felt Joey's lips and tongue teasing her. Her mind flashed back to the particularly erotic dream she had had about her so many months ago. The sensation of Joey's attention was even more wonderful than she'd expected it to be.

Joey took a breath and gently kissed her way down to the top of Charlie's thong. She was nervous but she wanted to do everything she could to make her happy. Her change of heart had been borne of words not being enough to express just how much she loved her.

She glanced back up at Charlie who seemed lost in a happy world. Encouraged, Joey slipped her underwear down and pressed her lips between her legs. She heard Charlie gasp as she began to explore her, eagerly building up momentum. On the one hand, it was similar to what she knew and on the other, it was entirely different. She'd done things like this out of duty and to pay her rent. Now, she was doing it for love and nothing more or less than that.

Charlie scrunched up the blankets and struggled to catch her breath as Joey pleasured her. She opened her legs a little wider, happy to give Joey any access that she needed. Every part of her body tingled as an orgasm built up slowly and deeply inside her.

Joey relentless teased Charlie with her tongue, lips and fingertips. She felt her girlfriend's body begin to shake and she was thrilled with the responses she was provoking. All her anxieties floated away as Charlie's breath came out short and sharp. She smiled as she heard her cry out in ecstasy, her body shuddering uncontrollably. She continued with the attention she had been delivering until Charlie was calm again. Then she kissed her way back up Charlie's body until she found her lips.

Charlie kept her eyes closed as she continued to try and catch her breath. Her body was still tingling and her heart was pounding as she clutched Joey to her, holding her close.

"Was that okay?" Joey asked after a short while.

Charlie laughed and opened her eyes, kissing her again.

"That was amazing," she confirmed. "I've never experienced anything that wonderful before."

Joey smiled shyly and snuggled up closer.

"I love you," she said quietly.

Charlie kissed her again, shifting onto her side so that they were facing each other. She reached out and stroked her hair.

"I love you too," she replied. "I'm so happy to be with you like this."

"I'm happy too," Joey said earnestly, meaning every word. "Thank you."

"You give me the most amazing orgasm of my life and you thank _me _for it?" Charlie asked incredulously.

Joey reached out and caught hold of her hand.

"Yes," she said. "Thank you for changing my life in every possible way. Thank you for teaching me that making love is different to anything I've ever done before. Thank you for showing me that I can be a good person and maybe even make something of myself."

Charlie wavered, feeling suddenly emotional. She lifted Joey's hand and kissed it.

"Thank you," she replied. "Thank you for being in my life."

They kissed tenderly, wrapping their arms tightly around each other.

"Now, I don't know how good I'm going to be at this but I'd love to try," Charlie grinned. "If you don't mind."

"Be my guest," Joey grinned cheekily.

She lay on her back as Charlie set to work, teasing every inch of her body as she travelled down between her legs. She kissed her thighs and eased her underwear down. Her heart was still pounding and she was worried about getting it wrong. There seemed to be so much resting on this moment.

Joey was startled when she felt Charlie's lips on her. She was overwhelmed with all the sensations coursing through her soul and body. Charlie kissed her with a tenderness Joey had never imagined possible. It was both passionate and loving. It was everything Joey had heard that sex was supposed to be.

She smiled as she felt Charlie grow in confidence. The strokes of her tongue became firmer and quicker as she explored and played. Joey gasped and her head began to spin as she drew closer and closer to climax. She cried out in the same way Charlie had when she reached the pivotal moment.

When Joey eventually became quiet, Charlie shifted position. She pressed her thigh between Joey's legs and felt her clamp around it, holding her in place. Then she settled against her body, kissing her mouth.

"Are you _sure _you've never done that before?" Joey wondered, her mind still spinning.

"I'm sure," Charlie replied bashfully. "Although I'd love to do it again."

Joey reached out and held her tightly. She never wanted to let her go.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey and Charlie take Alf and Roo to Martha's grave and Hugo pleads guilty to murder…<em>


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty Four**

Joey held Charlie's hand as they led Alf and Roo to Martha's grave. It had been a quick and quiet funeral, paid for, organised and attended only by Joey before she had found herself so caught up in the murder investigation that she'd had to leave her home. At the time, she had had no means of getting in touch with her friend's family.

But now, friends with Alf and his daughter, Martha's birth mother, it was time to give them a chance to say goodbye to the woman they had loved but never got the chance to know. She hoped that the gravestone was acceptable and that she could continue to find the time to tell Alf and Roo both all the good things about her best friend.

Hanging back, Joey kept hold of Charlie as she watched Alf and Roo lay flowers at the grave.

"You're doing great," Charlie whispered quietly.

Joey managed a smile, fighting tears of sadness over losing her best friend.

"I wish she could have lived," she said. "We could have both broken free of our lives and started again."

Charlie nodded, holding her close.

"At least she's not suffering anymore," she said.

"You think?"

"I'm sure," Charlie said. "Up in Heaven, she'll be free of her addiction and her pain."

Joey nodded, hoping she was right. She watched as Roo began to weep and Alf put his arms around her.

* * *

><p>Charlie and Joey arrived home, quiet and sombre. They had spent a lot of time with Alf and Roo that day and hoped they had helped. Joey had been honest about her friend's failings but she had shared as many good memories of her that she could think of. She had shown them the few photographs she had of her and the one piece of video she had on her phone.<p>

"Did I do okay?" she asked tiredly, settling against Charlie on the sofa.

"You were wonderful," Charlie replied. "I think it meant a lot to them."

Joey nodded, hoping she was right. She shifted, snuggling closer.

"Sometimes I can't even believe the life I'm living now," she admitted. "The way things turned out."

It had certainly been a long few weeks, mixing such good futures with such painful pasts. Hugo Austin was in jail awaiting trial, where he was pleading guilty to multiple murders. The funerals of all his victims had been held. Brax and his colleagues were also serving time behind bars and most of the girls had been taken into rehab or supported housing to try and help them change their lives. Joey had even taken Charlie to her mother's grave and shared stories about her. She felt free for the very first time in her life.

"It's been pretty eventful," Charlie agreed.

Joey leant closer and stole a gentle kiss.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything."

"My pleasure," Charlie smiled. "I think you underestimate how happy you make me, Joey. It's not just me doing something for you. You've done more for me than I could ever truly explain."

"I…" Joey started.

She laughed as she was interrupted by Bear Cat hopping on top of them. Giggling, she stroked his soft head and allowed him to settle on her hip.

"Looks like we won't be moving for a while!" she remarked.

"I'm home!" Ruby hollered, marching through the front door.

She stopped and grinned when she found Charlie, Joey and Bear Cat in a tangled mess on the sofa.

"Group hug!" she bellowed, leaping on top but being careful not to disturb the cat.

Charlie and Joey both laughed.

"If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be in a loving, healthy relationship, absolutely adore my girlfriend's teenage daughter and be settled with a cat and a normal bar job, I would never, ever have believed them," Joey admitted.

"Life is full of surprises," Charlie agreed. "And sometimes, like now, they're wonderful."

* * *

><p><em>I can't believe that this one is over! It took me a long, long time to actually write this one down and start posting it because I wasn't sure how people would respond to the situation I put Joey in. But thank you for going with it and I do hope you have enjoyed it. Thank you to those who stood up for me when I got some negative reviews and thank you to everyone who left positive ones! I have a good few stories in the pipeline and Jensy25, I may be onto something with the 'Joey as a cop' story you wanted. Watch this space! Thank you all for reading, including those that don't review but favourite the story and keep up with it etc. Love, IJKS xxx<em>


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